Finding Your Voice
by Kagyuubi
Summary: Shion is the new girl at Konoha High School, and so doesn't know about the silent enigma Uzumaki Naruto. Treated by their fellow classmates like he doesn't even exist, Shion is determined to find out why the boy who communicates only by pen and paper ended up as the 'Ghost of Class 2-B'. It's up to Shion to help Naruto find his voice once again, but is that all she finds?
1. Finding Your New Classmate

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter One: Finding Your New Classmate**

* * *

The summer holidays had come to an end, giving way to the beginning of a new school term at Konoha High School. Sakura and Ino wandered into the classroom early as they usually did, taking their seats at the front of the class and placing their beady eyes on the doorway, ready to pass judgement on all who entered. Who had lost or gained weight? Who was sporting a new hairstyle? Who had the latest cell phone charms hanging off their phones?

As the first bell began to ring, their classmates slowly trickled into the room in twos and threes, chatting amicably amongst themselves about their holiday exploits. Tenten was the first to enter, and sweat drops rolled simultaneously down the blonde and pink haired girl's cheeks as they realized that she hadn't changed her look at all during summer break. Dressed in the standard summer uniform, perfectly pressed and as pristine as the day it was bought, Tenten was one of those students the senseis told the misbehaving ones to emulate. Her hair was still tied in two perfect buns on top of her head in the classic oriental fashion, but she was one of the few people who could pull it off. Tenten had maintained her wiry yet feminine figure as expected; she was the top female athlete of their year and trained everyday like clockwork. She waved cheerily at the two girls seated in the front row, and when they waved back, headed towards the middle of the classroom with Hyuuga Hinata in tow, who had shyly hidden behind her as they entered the room.

Now Hinata had changed her look, and the unofficial fashion police were proud to say it was an improvement. All through elementary school, middle school and the first year of high school, Hinata had kept the same short hime cut ('princess cut': painstakingly straightened hair, straight side locks up to the cheeks or chin coupled with a perfectly level frontal fringe) with two side locks framing her face down to her chin and the princess fringe. Now, while her dark blue hair was still styled in the hime cut, she had grown out her hair until it reached her waist, and her side locks were now shoulder level.

All in all, it made her look more elegant and befitting of the royalty-like status enjoyed by those of the Hyuuga family. Hinata was one of the more modest girls who found the knee length skirt far too revealing, instead choosing to wear the full length skirt reserved for winter months all year round. While she did it because she was embarrassed about her body (when she really shouldn't be), her style choice made her look more elegant and refined, giving her the attractive look that girls who showed no skin could only pull off with the right personality. Taking her demure, 'kawaii' shy personality into account, it wasn't a surprise that she was a hit with the loud boys. Unfortunately, those were the kind of boys she was deathly afraid of.

Sakura noticed with some degree of envy that Hinata had somehow developed an even more womanly figure, even though she'd been the first in their age group to develop a decent pair of breasts when puberty first struck. She glanced down at her own chest and sighed ruefully. She still had a long way to go before she could compete with Hinata, even though she'd been regularly drinking milk and performing certain... exercises... she had discovered on the Internet.

The pinkette shook her head to rid herself of her depressing thoughts before her eyes could be drawn towards Ino, who was arguably just as well-endowed as Hinata. The girl she had been trying to avoid peeking at then nudged her roughly and pointed excitedly at the door. Sakura blushed as the boys of their class walked in, laughing loudly and tossing a tennis ball between them. Her eyes were drawn to Sasuke first, as any normal girl's eyes would, taking in his toned, muscled arms and perfectly styled hair. While some of the boys had likened it to a duck's bottom (they were obviously jealous and rightly so), Sakura, Ino and any girl who had ever laid eyes on him thought it was perfect. It looked so soft too, though no girl had ever gotten close enough to touch it. He wore his uniform like most of the boys: sloppy and careless, yet somehow, he made it look cool. Casual was probably a better word to describe it, since Kiba definitely wore his uniform sloppily. Shirt hanging out, pants barely clinging to his waist and his tie loosely knotted around his collar with the top button undone. At least Sasuke chose not to wear a tie at all, which made him look more presentable in the long run.

Lee and Sai strolled in next, Lee in his usual dark green sports track suit with his hair styled similarly to Guy-sensei's weird bowl cut hairdo and Sai dressed impeccably in the winter uniform, blazer, long pants and all. When asked about it, Sai would smile an awkward smile and talk about one of his extremely well drawn sketches, clearly changing the subject.

Shikamaru and Choji were the last to enter, one barely keeping his eyes open while the other could barely keep his hands out of his chip bag. Choji, despite all his eating had not gained anymore weight, while Shikamaru looked like he had just crawled out of bed. Grass stains on his shirt and leaves stuck to his pineapple haircut quickly told anyone who knew him that he'd been lying on the hill near the sports field, the best place to view the clouds other than the roof.

The rest of the class filed in, with Ami and her two hench(wo)men bringing up the rear. In the past, Ami had been a physical bully to many but in recent years had settled down to standard high school girl bitchiness. If there was a girl getting too close to Sasuke and causing trouble, she'd be the one to deal with it. The girls of class 2-B had an agreement that Sasuke was everyone's idol to be viewed from afar, but occasionally the odd smitten girl would try her luck to win over Sasuke, which was when Ami would corner them and giving them a good lecture and/or threat to kill them socially.

Ten minutes after the final bell rang for the start of homeroom, Class 2-B's sensei wandered in, his nose buried in a small orange book. The usual chorus of "You're late!" forced Kakashi to raise his hands placatingly and give the class his weird little eye smile. He wore a dark blue mask over half of his face for reasons unknown, though the rumour mill was bursting with theories. His silver hair covered his left eye, and likewise, no one had actually seen his left eye, throwing its existence into question.

"Sorry, sorry. I got a little waylaid by the groundskeeper who had somehow lost his... pet cat..." even Kakashi seemed to realize how lame his excuse sounded without seeing the dubious looks on his student's faces. He made a mental note to plan out his excuse beforehand, rather than trying to make one up on the fly. "Uh, before we take attendance, we have a new student joining us."

Immediately chatter broke out amongst the class, the girls wondering if the person was a girl who would have to be taught the 'Sasuke Rules' _as soon as possible_, while the boys simply prayed out loud for a cute girl. The hubbub subside the moment a girl walked into the room, save for the male student's fist pumping and whispering "Yosh!" at each other.

Kakashi welcomed her to the front of the class, then grabbed a piece of chalk and scrawled her name down the centre of the blackboard. Once he was done, he spun around and introduced the new girl. "This here is Fujimura Shion. She has come all the way from Oni no Kuni (Land of Demons) and is new to Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire). Let's all make her feel welcome."

The girl with shimmering light blonde hair stepped forward to introduce herself as was customary. "My name is Fujimura Shion. Like Kakashi-sensei said, I am new to this country so I'll be in your care. I would be honoured to get to know you all and hope that you'll show me around this beautiful town. Let's all work hard and get along well together!" she smiled and bowed to tumultuous applause, most of it from Kiba and Lee. While her introduction had been far from original, the new girl had the smile of an angel. Kami had answered the boys' prayers and then some.

"Ah, Uzumaki. Glad you could join us." muttered Kakashi, giving the boy who had just walked in and frozen at the doorway a sheepish grin when he realized he'd spoken too loudly.

The class turned as one to ogle the late arrival. While Uzumaki Naruto turning up to class wasn't anything special, the fact that he was later than Kakashi was definitely something. Usually the blonde boy was the first one already in his seat when the other students arrived.

Clearly uncomfortable by all the attention, he simply nodded to his sensei and ducked his head as he made his way to the window seat at the very back. He made no attempt to make eye contact with his classmates, nor did they try to greet him.

After all, in all their years together as a class, not once had they heard him speak.

Some speculated that he was mute, while others thought he was just suffocatingly shy. Kiba had once joked about him having a high pitched girly voice that he must have been ashamed of when Naruto had been nearby, and they didn't see the blonde boy for the next two days.

So the class left him to his own devices, and he minded his own business. It was a simple agreement that had been going on for years. Unfortunately Shion did not know of this deal, being the new girl and all.

As he was about to walk past Shion, she reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. Naruto jumped violently at her touch and turned to face her with a blank expression on his face. The lack of emotion he showed was a little off putting, but Shion gave him an encouraging smile and introduced herself.

"Hello Uzumaki-san, my name is Fujimura Shion. Today is my first day at this school, and I'm looking forward to becoming good friends with everyone." her light purple eyes locked with his own, and she was surprised to find his eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue. While spiky delinquent blonde hair generally didn't fit anyone, it somehow looked right on Naruto. Maybe it was his natural hair colour, though it was a very different shade from her own and the platinum blonde girl in front row seated next to the girl with pink hair.

Naruto simply watched her for a few long seconds, like he was reading something written in her eyes. Then he nodded slowly, gave her an odd looking facial expression and hastily wrenched his arm free of her grip, shouldering his bag and hurrying to his seat at the back.

She noticed that his bag wasn't the same as hers and the other students. While they all carried the standard black rectangular book bag with a shoulder strap, Naruto had an old orange backpack, the colour faded with age. It was covered in patches of various colours and was in dire need of replacement. As she watched, Naruto placed his bag by his feet (since it wouldn't fit on the hook built on the side of the desk) and gazed out the window. Shion also noticed the girl with long dark hair and white eyes in the seat in front of his glancing back at him furtively, obviously wanting to say something then changing her mind at the last moment.

"Fujimura, you can take that empty seat next to Uzumaki." said Kakashi, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Oh, thank you sensei." she bowed politely and made her way to her seat in the back row, returning the smiles and waves she got from her fellow students. As she took her seat, Kakashi called for silence as he began the first lesson of the day. As she reached for her books, she noticed a small spiral writing pad with a small pen tied to it lying next to Naruto's notebook on his desk. She glanced at it curiously but resolved to ask him about it during their first break.

* * *

~First Break~

* * *

"Hey, what was Oni no Kuni like?"

"My name is Yamanaka Ino, pleased to meet you!"

"So what are your interests? If you're the athletic type, you could join one of our sports clubs, we need as many members as we can get if we want to compete in the inter-school sports carnival!"

Shion smiled uneasily as she was surrounded by girls introducing themselves and attacking her with a verbal barrage of questions. She glanced off to the side, hiding her darkening face and irritated scowl. _'Annoying...'_ she thought before facing the girls crowded around her desk with her angelic smile in place. She did her best to answer the multitude of questions while trying to glance over the top of Tenten's head to spot that Uzumaki guy, but was foiled by her massive twin buns (that last part could interpreted two ways couldn't it?).

She sighed and resigned herself to fifteen minutes of explaining her home country's various traditions and colourful history. When would this interrogation be over?

As the girls finally dispersed after extracting several promises from Shion to join them after school, Shion looked over to her left, ready to ask Naruto about his little notebook. It was a good way to start a conversation at the very least, since he didn't seem like the talkative type.

Too bad the boy had vanished from his seat during her conversation with the girls of their class. She sighed and pulled out her morning tea, noting that she had five minutes to finish off her snack before the next block of lessons.

Unfortunately it appeared that her snack would have to wait, once she became aware of a figure standing uncomfortably close to her desk. She looked up and squinted, blinded by a bright light. That light happened to be sunlight reflecting off a pair of perfect pearly whites. Then the figure angled their head to speak and she was able to see the mystery person's face.

A boy in a dark green jumpsuit bowed to her, then straightened up and jabbed his thumb enthusiastically into his chest. "Hello Fujimura-san! My name is Rock Lee! It's a pleasure to meet you!" he flashed his blinding grin once more, and Shion actually had to raise her hand to block the glare.

"L-Likewise." she jumped slightly when Lee was roughly pushed out of the way, his spot taken by a boy with red markings painted on his face.

"Hey there! My name's Kiba but I'm known throughout the town as 'Red Dog'! Feel free to ask me anything and everything there is to know about this place. Questions about good food joints, fun places to visit, when I'm free for a date, feel free to ask away!"

"..." a sweat drop rolled down her cheek as Kiba's overbearing presence nearly suffocated her. "Uh, thanks. It's a pleasure to meet you." she remembered in time to flash a smile at him, fighting to keep it from turning into a smirk when she saw the 'Red Dog' melt like putty under her feminine charms.

"So, what would you like to know?" he asked with a grin, stepping to the side to block a few boys who had been slowly edging towards them.

Shion gave him her best cutesy innocent smile and asked "Can you tell me about the guy who sits there?" while pointing to Naruto's desk. The confident grin slipped off Kiba's face instantaneously, like someone had flicked a switch. Shion had just noticed the silence that had filled the classroom after she had spoken when the bell rang, almost deafening in the noiseless room.

"Ah, there's the bell. I'll be heading to my seat now." Kiba muttered hastily before backing away to the other side of the classroom where his desk was.

_'Huh. Weird.'_ thought Shion. _'Ah, here he comes!'_ Naruto had slipped into the classroom through the backdoor, sneaking quietly past Kiba, who acted like he wasn't there. As he ghosted past Ami's table, she leaned back and stretched, nearly smacking Naruto in the face. He just barely dodged her and continued on like nothing had happened, passing Shion without looking at her.

As he took his seat, she noticed that he had a large pair of black headphones around his neck, a thin blue cord leading down from it to his trouser pocket. The headphones were as battered as his bag, the numerous scratches on the glossy surface indicating heavy usage.

Shion glanced towards the front of the room, and upon verifying Kakashi-sensei's absence, touched Naruto gently on the shoulder. Once again, he flinched violently, facing her almost fearfully though his face was devoid of expression. No, that wasn't quite true. He looked almost... sad. Like his face had a sort of gloomy and dark feeling to it, despite his shimmering bright blue eyes glittering with vitality.

"H-Hi!" she stuttered, before remembering her smile and predetermined set of ice breaking questions. "I wanted to speak to you earlier but you vanished during the break. Where did you go?"

Naruto gave her a puzzled look before shaking his head. _'What's that supposed to mean?'_ she wondered, feeling slightly snubbed. Was he ignoring her?

Naruto reached slowly into his pocket and pulled out the small notepad and pen she'd noticed before. He quickly scrawled something on the top page and presented the notepad to her.

**Nowhere special.**

She read the message then gave him an odd look. "Ah, I see. I wanted to ask you earlier about your notepad when I saw it on your desk but I guess I got my answer." Naruto nodded once, letting their unusual conversation fall into awkward silence. It wasn't that Shion had nothing to say; she desperately wanted to know about the notepad but wasn't quite sure how to ask about it. Would it be rude of her to ask why he wasn't speaking?

As she continued to deliberate, Naruto decided that the conversation was over, announcing his decision by turning away to look out the window. Just as Shion was about to reach out and tap his shoulder to get his attention again, Kakashi picked that moment to stroll into the room, tucking his little orange book halfway into his back pocket. He immediately grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing notes on the blackboard, ignoring the grumbles of the students as they muttered about him being fifteen minutes late. With his back facing the class, his little book looked like a little orange beacon sticking out of his pants, bobbing side to side as he wrote out a massive block of text.

Shion placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, unaware of the brief look Naruto sent her way before he resumed copying down what was being written on the board.

* * *

~Second Break~

* * *

As the bell rang and signalled the end of the second block of classes, the students of class 2-B let out relieved sighs and shook out their cramped fingers. Kakashi had spent nearly the entire double writing notes on the board, forcing them to write at breakneck (or is it breakfinger?) speed, trying to keep up as he erased the old sentences almost immediately to make space for new ones.

Shion flexed her aching fingers, breathing a sigh of relief. She glanced down at her notebook and frowned, unhappy with how messy her writing looked. She fished out her little bottle of white out and began to blot out and rewrite the messier sentences until she was satisfied with the level of neatness.

Her stomach was gnawing at her insides, the result of being unable to eat her morning tea. Fortunately, it seemed everyone else was too hungry to come over and introduce themselves, or in some people's case, badger her with unnecessary questions. She understood that her home country was far from here, but who the hell would ask if the toilets looked different?!

She shook her head disapprovingly and reached for the wrapped bento she had kept carefully inside her desk. Her mother didn't usually have time to make her bento, but she made the effort to cook for her daughter on her first day at Konoha High School.

She smiled as she unwrapped the flower patterned cloth around the box. Her mother was a fantastic cook, whose skills Shion hoped to pick up one day, so that she could share them with her own family. Shion dreamed of having a loving family in the future, since she'd had a rocky childhood back in Oni no Kuni. For the first ten years of her life she'd lived in a temple, only seeing her mother every few years or so while she went away on business trips. They had no other close relations so they could only rely on the priests at the temple to look after young Shion. They hadn't treated her badly, but Shion had spent numerous nights praying to be reunited with her mother. Finally she had got her wish, but ended up in a situation where her mother worked long days and left in the morning before Shion woke up and came back home long after her daughter had gone to bed. This had gone on for six years until Shion's mother got herself a new job in a small town in Hi no Kuni, which is why they now lived in Konoha.

Her stomach rumbled quietly, jolting her out of her reverie. She glanced around embarrassedly, hoping no one had noticed. Once she was satisfied that she was in the clear, she quickly pulled the lid off her bento, fighting down the faint blush colouring her cheeks. Ah, her mother knew exactly what to pack, no matter what day it was. Her food always seemed to fit the mood Shion was in at the time, either that or all of her mother's food agreed with every one of Shion's emotions.

Whatever the case might have been, she abandoned all thought and quickly picked up her chopsticks, muttering "Itadakimasu!" as she began to eat. While she scooped up mouthfuls of rice and fried egg, she glanced over towards Naruto's desk when she heard the loud rustling of plastic.

Naruto had reached into his bag and pulled out a couple of convenience store onigiri (rice balls). He unwrapped one and quickly wolfed it down, then reached for the next and finished it in three bites.

Shion watched with a quirked eyebrow as he carefully folded the sheets of plastic into small squares and placed them carefully at the edge of his desk. He washed down his simple meal with a small bottle of green tea, draining it in one gulp. He then gathered up the onigiri wrappers, took a moment to brace himself, then quickly slunk to the front of room, dropping his trash in the bin and hurrying back to his seat, slightly hunched over as if to make his presence smaller. Despite his rather odd mannerisms, no one seemed to comment on his unusual conduct.

In fact, no one seemed to notice him at all.

Even the Hyuuga girl kept her gaze lowered as he walked by, though her regretful glance back at him as he reached his seat spoke volumes. _'Just what is going on with this class and Uzumaki?'_ Shion thought.

Her stomach chose that moment to threaten her with another low growl since she'd stopped eating to watch the blonde boy's strange antics. She hurriedly grabbed her chopsticks and wolfed down the rest of her lunch.

Soon she was finished, quickly packing away her bento and then glancing at her watch. She still had ten minutes before the end of lunch. She then used her fringe to hide her eyes as she observed her classmates. To her left sat Naruto, on her right was an empty desk and beyond it sat Kiba and Ami. An empty seat was directly in front of her, making her wonder why Kakashi had sent her to the very back of the room. The seat before Naruto's was Hyuuga Hinata's who was chatting quietly with Tenten who had the seat in front of hers.

Good, there was no one to interrupt her this time, and it didn't seem like the boys were going to come after her again since they were too busy stuffing their faces. She kept an eye out for Lee who sat near the front of the class, but it appeared that he had left the room.

She then turned to face Naruto, unaware of Kakashi's eyes on her and Naruto as she tapped the blonde boy's shoulder. He flinched again, but not as violently as before. He pulled his headphones off and let them rest around his neck, looking at Shion expectantly. He didn't seem to be annoyed by her interruption, but then again, he didn't show any expression so how was she to know?

"Uh, hi!" she said lamely, once again whipping out her angelic smile. He shot her an odd look, his mouth twitching strangely and then tilted his head to show that he was listening. "I'd like to get to know you better. Do you mind telling me about yourself?" she wondered briefly why she was trying so hard to speak to this voiceless boy and put it down to simply being extra nice on her first day. She was sure she'd put this much effort into making friends with the other students if they had similar troubles. It was probably because talking to him was difficult that Shion had to go the extra mile when interacting with Naruto. It wasn't like he would introduce himself of his own accord.

Naruto gave her a quizzical look, almost confused, before pulling out his notepad and quickly writing down an answer.

**What do you want to know?**

"Well, before you tell me anything, it's polite to introduce yourself."

**'My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you.' **

**Something like that?**

"Uh yeah," Shion's brow creased with the slightest of frowns. Was he mocking her? Sarcasm didn't come across well in writing. "What are your interests?" Naruto's eyes widened and she wondered if he'd misheard her question. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

**I like reading manga and listening to music.**

"I see," replied Shion. "And do you play any sports?" Naruto simply shook his head in response. Shion took a few moments to think of her next question, feeling slightly pressured by Naruto's unblinking gaze. "What's your favourite food?" Naruto's mouth twitched again, like he was trying to whistle with his mouth closed. He tore off the top page of his notepad and stuffed into his pocket, scrawling his answer on a fresh page.

**Ramen!**

He had written the word in large letters, obviously trying to show his enthusiasm for the dish. "Oh really? Is there a good ramen restaurant around here?" Shion asked, glad to have found a topic he was willing to talk... write about.

Naruto took his time answering, flipping the pen around his fingers dexterously as he considered his answer. Finally he settled for nodding his head, which was pretty anticlimactic considering the amount of time it had taken him to perform that simple action.

"... Do you want to tell me what it's called?" Shion asked hesitantly. Naruto took less time than before to shake his head. Shion playfully pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that so? What, is it your little secret? How rude!"

Naruto seemed taken aback by her change in demeanour, studying her facial expression for a few long moments before writing on his pad once more.

**Sorry.**

Now it was Shion's turn to be taken aback. Did he actually think she was angry with him? She raised her hands placatingly, not missing the involuntary flinch that shook his body. "I was kidding Uzumaki-kun. Hey, can I call you by your first name? Your last name is a mouthful with the honorifics."

Naruto stared at her in shock, making her wonder once again if he'd misheard her. As he began to shakily write a response, she could have sworn she saw a faint pink tinge on his cheeks.

**Yes, that's fine Fujimura-san.**

"Great! Well Naruto-san, you can call me Shion. It's only fair."

**Thank you Shion-san.**

His reply was barely legible since his hand had been shaking as he wrote. Shion had not missed the look of awe on his face, like being allowed to address her in such a familiar fashion was a great honour. She tried not to let that swell her ego as she leaned towards him to ask another question. Unfortunately the bell rang at that moment, and Q&A with Naruto was over.

Shion sighed and pulled out her books as he slipped on his headphones once more. Just when they'd been making progress too.

* * *

~After School~

* * *

As promised, Shion found herself walking with Tenten, Hinata, Sakura and Ino down to the local shopping mall. She was happy to have made friends so quickly, but right now, all she wanted was to go home and sleep. She was still jet lagged from the flight from Oni no Kuni, and really wasn't in the mood to keep up with the Konoha gossip girls.

"Did you enjoy your first day?" asked Sakura, the girl with neck length pink hair. _'Now that has to be dyed. Who the hell has pink hair?!'_ thought Shion. Out loud she said "It was good, I'm lucky to be in a class full of such nice people." as the girls made their usual "Aww, aren't you sweet!" type replies, Shion decided to ask the girls about Naruto. They seemed pretty well informed, seeing as they'd warned and advised her about everyone's various personality quirks.

Except for Naruto's.

"Hey, can you guys tell me what you know about Uzumaki Naruto? Why doesn't he speak?" her question was met with silence. Her companions had stopped dead in their tracks, smiles disappearing faster than they'd recited the 'Sasuke Rules'.

Shion studied their faces, trying to puzzle out the meaning behind each one. Tenten looked rather uncomfortable, while Hinata gazed at her with an expression akin to shock. Ino had raised a sceptical eyebrow and Sakura had switched from initial panic to confusion.

Finally the pinkette spoke up, and Shion had not been expecting what she had to say.

"Who?" she asked confusedly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers! Thanks for reading! If you liked this story so far, please leave a review. This story was meant to be a one shot, but I wasn't sure if people would like Naruto's OOCness. If you guys like this story then I'll keep going with the second chapter, otherwise I'll finish it off and re-upload it as a one shot.**

**Kagyuubi**


	2. Finding Your Ghost of Class 2-B

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Finding Your Ghost of Class 2-B**

* * *

"Who?" asked a bemused Sakura. Shion's eyes widened with surprise. They didn't know who Naruto was? How couldn't they? Everyone saw him when he walked in late during homeroom. Realization struck her then, sending a shiver up her spine. She'd seen an anime like this, where no one could see the strange girl sitting in the last seat of the row next to the window, the same seat that Naruto sat in. In that anime, only the main character could see the girl...

...Because she was a _ghost_.

_'Was I speaking with a dead guy?'_ Shion shuddered, drawing confused looks from her companions. She fearfully opened her mouth to ask her next question, not sure if she was going to like the answer. "D-Do you guys know someone called Uzumaki N-Naruto?"

Ino, Sakura and Tenten shared a look between them, while Hinata kept her eyes on her feet. After a pause, Ino finally spoke up. "She needs to know, we might as well tell her."

"Are you sure? We don't know what she might do." replied Sakura, concern evident on her features.

_''We don't know what she might do'? What do they mean by that?!'_ Shion was quietly panicking now, her anxiety not being eased by her new friends' secrecy.

"Look, she's getting scared now. Ino, you tell her." said Tenten, motioning for her to do the honours.

Ino sighed and nodded, turning to face Shion with barely concealed apprehension. "Yes, we do know a boy named Uzumaki Naruto." she whispered his name before glancing around, evidently worried that someone or something was listening to their conversation. "He is..."

_'Please don't say dead, please don't say dead!'_ Shion thought, repeating it like a prayer with her eyes screwed shut.

"... the blonde kid who sits next to you in class right?"

_'Huh?' _thought Shion. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed out loud.

"Hey, hey, not so loud!" said Sakura, placing a calming hand on Shion's arm.

"You mean he's just an ordinary boy?!" Shion asked disbelievingly. What the hell had they been thinking by winding her up like that? Then again, it was her overactive imagination that gave her the idea in the first place...

"Well, yes and no." said Tenten, instantly putting Shion back on edge.

"Is... Is he a ghost?" Shion asked fearfully, once again falling prey to her imagination's influence.

The girls took one look at Shion's expression and laughed out loud. Even Hinata was giggling behind her hand, making Shion feel rather foolish.

"Well, yes and no." repeated Ino as she dabbed at the tears of mirth in her eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara.

"What do you mean 'yes and no'? Which one is it?" Shion asked exasperatedly. She was getting tired of this little game the others were playing with her.

"S-Sorry Shion-san," Hinata said quietly. "We didn't mean to keep you in the dark. But Uzumaki-kun is... A special case."

"Yeah," said Ino, taking over the conversation. "You see, in all the years we've been together as a class, not once have we heard him speak."

"I-I've known him since preschool, and though I can't remember it, he used to be quite talkative and friendly. My mother had some pictures where he looked completely different from how he is now. Then s-something happened to him during the holidays before our first year of e-elementary school and he never spoke or smiled again. He was even hospitalised, though we didn't learn of this until his nurse came into class one day to check on him. When he learned to write, he began c-carrying around that notepad of his, otherwise he c-communicated only through nods and head s-shakes." Hinata managed to get through most of her little speech without too much stuttering, which was a relief for Shion. She had nothing against Hinata, but she was far too impatient to wait for someone to stutter out what they had to say. She used to have a teacher in her school in Oni no Kuni that couldn't say a single word without a stutter or two. The worst part of his lessons though was that he liked to dictate his notes, so classes were a living hell for poor Shion.

"Do you know what happened to him?" asked Shion, shelving her stuttering issues for the moment.

Tenten chose to enter the conversation with: "Unfortunately not. As you know, he's a little tight lipped (understatement!) and he vanishes from school for days if people make fun of him even if it's a joke, or if we ask him about his past. However, we know that he lived in an orphanage after that incident (Kiba followed him home one day) and then two years ago he started living on his own in an apartment in the shabbier side of town."

"Does he have a job? And what happened to his parents?" Shion was now extremely curious about her voiceless classmate. Who knew his life had been so tough?

"We don't know. He doesn't open up to anyone," said Sakura. "Hinata once asked him what his favorite colour was and he wrote orange. That's all we know about him really."

"That's kinda sad." said Shion, feeling a little empathetic for the blonde boy.

"What? That he likes the colour orange? That's a little harsh." said Sakura, frowning slightly.

A sweat drop rolled down Shion's cheek. Was the pinkette being a smart ass or was she a few noodles short of a bowl of ramen? "Uh, no. I mean it's sad that you only know his favourite colour despite being in the same class with him for years."

"Well, what can we do?" said Tenten. "He won't speak to us, and we aren't sure what topics are off limits. It's easier just to leave him be, that way he'll still come to school at the very least."

Shion couldn't not believe what she was hearing. "Are you kidding me? How is that right in any way? You can't just act like he doesn't exist!" she though back to their conversation (if her speaking and his writing could be called a conversation) during second break. "He's a person with feelings just like you and me."

The girls looked rather uncomfortable during Shion's spiel. Surprisingly it was Hinata who broke the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Um, Shion-san, if I may, what were you talking about with Naruto-san? I've never seen him hold a conversation with someone for so long."

Shion eyed her suspiciously, then decided that what he'd said hadn't been that confidential. She took it as point in Hinata's favour that she was willing to ask about him. "Well, first I got him to introduce himself, through writing obviously but it broke the ice. Then I asked him about his interests and he said he liked reading manga and listening to music. Oh, he said his favourite food was ramen and that he knew a good ramen restaurant but he didn't want to tell me. He thought I was seriously annoyed with him when I pouted and pretended to be angry and apologized to me. Also, he seemed rather touched when I said he could address me by my first name, but I get it now. Not many people take the time to acknowledge him do they?" she hadn't meant for her last sentence to sound so accusing, but the girls squirmed uncomfortably nonetheless.

Hinata seemed rather stunned that Naruto had shared so much with Shion. Evidently, he was a man of complete secrecy. So what made Shion special? "Well then Shion-san, we leave Uzumaki to you!" said Ino cheerfully, shaking off her awkwardness.

"Huh?" Shion replied eloquently.

"You've established a solid rapport with him, so maybe you can draw him out of his shell!" she grinned and flicked her long half fringe out of her eyes.

_'Draw him out of his shell... Hmm, I suppose I could...'_ Shion thought to herself. No one else was willing to do it, and she really wanted to help him now that she knew a little about him. Plus, he was still shrouded in mystery and she figured if people took the time to understand him, he could make friends with the rest of their class. Hinata seemed like she'd be willing to befriend him, now all she needed to do was to get Naruto to open up. Getting him to speak would be pretty useful too, but she'd take it one step at a time. "I suppose so..." she muttered, then glancing at her new friends with a glint of determination in her eyes she said "Yeah, leave it to me!"

"Great! Now can we get back on track? If we stand here any longer, the good shops will close." said Ino, pulling on Tenten's sleeve and gesturing to the shopping mall down the road.

"R-Right! Let's get moving!" said Hinata, grabbing Shion's and Sakura's hands and dragging them along.

_'What have I gotten myself into?'_ wondered Shion, both about befriending these overly energetic girls and about being put in charge of 'Naruto Duty'.

* * *

~Homeroom~

* * *

As Shion stumbled blearily into the classroom the next morning, she noticed that Naruto was already in his seat, wearing his massive headphones and staring out the window. At the front row sat Ino and Sakura, who smiled and waved, then shot her knowing looks and winks. Shion raised a hand and nodded once, not needing their exaggerated head gestures towards Naruto to get what they were saying.

"Idiots." she muttered good naturedly, before yawning widely and practically falling into her seat. She placed her bag on the hook on her desk and began mentally preparing herself. She had already decided not to ask about his past or anything overly personal until he was more comfortable with her. Shion turned to face Naruto and tapped his shoulder. By now, she was expecting him to jump violently and was not disappointed.

When he glanced over and saw Shion smiling at him, he made that odd facial expression of his (trying to whistle with his mouth closed) and took off his headphones. "Good morning Naruto-san." she said cheerfully.

Naruto simply nodded in return and waited quietly for what she had to say. _'I know why he doesn't speak, but simply being nodded at feels like a rude dismissal. He could at least write something.'_ thought Shion, masking her faint irritation with her angelic smile. "How are you today?"

He pulled out his notepad from his pocket and began to scrawl out a reply.

**I am fine.**

Now it was Shion's turn to wait expectantly for the next part of the conversation. She stared into Naruto's eyes and he stared back unblinkingly. A long moment passed with nothing but their staring match taking place. Shion sighed and shook her head, almost missing the little blush that crept across his cheeks as he turned away from her. _'Did I just see what I thought I saw?'_

Shion decided to ask about it later, instead reaching over to Naruto's desk and picking up his writing pad with her slender fingers. He almost raised a hand to stop her, and then settled for watching her next move nervously.

She took hold of the pen dangling off the pad and scrawled a message under his. She then handed the notepad back to him, noticing how he was careful not to let his fingers come in contact with hers.

**I am fine**

**It's common courtesy to ask the person who asked you 'How are you?' the same question!**

Naruto read her message slowly, then tore off the top page and stuffed it in his pocket. He took more time writing his reply, obviously impressed by the almost artistic neatness of her handwriting. Still, when he showed her what he wrote, it still looked like typically messy boyish handwriting.

**How are you?**

Shion gave him a big smile, hoping to encourage his first foray into proper social etiquette. "I'm good thanks! So, what did you get up to yesterday?"

Naruto seemed to have an internal debate over how to answer that question, finally putting pen to paper after a good deal of thinking and pen flipping.

**I was working.**

Shion realized that she had made a breakthrough. Now if she could just get him to open up... "You have a job? That's pretty cool. Where do you work?" something in Naruto's demeanour changed and she realized she'd pushed too far. _'Take it slow, it's only day two.' _she thought. Naruto had stiffened when she asked her question, but after realizing that she wouldn't press him for answers, slowly shook his head.

"You can't tell me? That's alright, we only just met." Shion cast her eyes about the room, thinking about what she should say next. Ah, she should probably tell him about her trip with the girls to the mall.

"You know what I did yesterday? I went to the mall with Sakura-san, Ino-san, Tenten-san and Hinata-san!" as she began to tell him about the various shops they dragged her into, Naruto gave her every bit of his attention. He tilted his head to the side to show he was listening and he barely blinked throughout her tale. Shion honestly felt rather good about having someone being so focused on her, hanging on to her every word... She really needed to make sure this didn't go straight to her ego. And to be honest, he was watching her so expressionlessly that it was kind of disconcerting, since she didn't know if he was bored by her retelling of the previous day's events.

Finally, her story came to an end, and Naruto moved quicker than she'd ever seen him move before to grab his notepad and begin writing. As he wrote, Shion became aware of the fact that their classmates had entered the classroom during her tale, and were waiting impatiently at their desks for Kakashi to show up.

**That sounds like fun. It's good to see you making friends so quickly.**

Shion smiled at him. "Yeah, it's great that everyone is so friendly here. I've already made friends with Hinata-san and Tenten-san and the rest. And you of course." she added quickly.

Naruto dropped his notepad with a loud clatter, staring at her while his jaw nearly hit the floor. Shion realized that was probably the first proper emotion she'd seen on his face. Still, it was a little saddening to see how much of a reaction he'd had to those words. Most people took them for granted after all, herself included.

He shakily picked up his notepad and quickly wrote down a reply.

**I think I misheard you.**

"No you didn't, unless you didn't hear me say I made friends with Hinata-san, Tenten-san, Ino-san, Sakura-san and you, Uzumaki Naruto-san!" she grinned at him cheekily, enjoying the mixture of shock and awe on his face. It was kind of cute how innocent and lost he seemed.

**You want to be friends with me?**

The disbelief on his face was a terrible reminder of how lonely he was. Well, Shion would see to that in due time. "Of course! I like you Naruto-san, you're an interesting guy." it seemed that Naruto was unused to praise, and wasn't sure how to respond to it. He ended up staring at the notepad in his hands, not daring to look up at her face. He'd had jokes similar to this played on him before, and was hoping against hope that this wasn't another one of those times.

Shion realized she'd have to erase every possible doubt in his mind to get him to accept her offer of friendship. "Or do you not like me? You don't think of me as a friend Naruto-san?" his head shot up like a cork from a sake bottle, and upon seeing her sad puppy dog look quickly found a fresh page in his notepad and scribbled away.

**I do like you! I'd be honoured to call you a friend.**

Shion grinned. He'd been ensnared by it hook, line and sinker just like everyone else who'd seen her puppy dog eyes. They truly were a force to be reckoned with. "Well that settles it then! Now Naruto, I have something to ask you." she waited for him to nod and continued. "Earlier when I asked you how you were and you replied and we had our little staring match, I noticed that you were blushing. Why were you blushing?"

Shion struggled to keep a straight face as the blonde boy embarrassedly looked out the window. He then tore off the top page of his notepad and wrote down his answer.

**No reason.**

"Oh really?" Shion said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well then, since you were looking at me when you blushed, I'm going to assume you were thinking something perverted about me, and I'm going to be very disappointed in you."

Naruto face was the very picture of panic and desperation as he shook his head earnestly. He then grabbed for his writing pad and scribbled out a response.

**I wasn't! Believe me Shion-san, I wouldn't do that!**

"Oh I'm sure you're just like every other healthy teenage boy Naruto-san!" she shook her disapprovingly and then leaned towards him. "Alright then, I'll give you a chance to prove your innocence (in more ways than one), if you tell me exactly what you were thinking."

Naruto's blush fully coloured his cheeks this time, and he took a while to write down his next response.

**When I was looking at you, I couldn't help but notice how pretty your smile was.**

After reading the message, Shion suddenly had the urge to yell out 'Kawaii!'. Naruto was staring intently out the window, trying to hide his pink cheeks. He was just so innocent, it was utterly adorable. "Alright Naruto-san, I believe you. Thank you for being honest, that was a very sweet thing to say… uh write."

He glanced back at her and saw her smiling at him. He nodded and began to put his notepad back in his pocket when Shion placed her hand on his, making him flinch. "Could I keep that?" she asked, giving him her angelic smile once again. He nodded again and gently tore off the top piece of paper from his notepad. He handed it to her carefully and placed his headphones back over his ears, evidently finished with the conversation for the moment. Still, he had made great progress today with his interactions and display of emotions. It looked like he was on the right track.

Shion looked down at the piece of paper in her hand and felt a blush of her own creeping up her cheeks. Sure, she'd heard that line from hundreds of other boys, but from an innocent untalkative one like Naruto, it seemed to carry a lot more meaning.

* * *

~After School~

* * *

As Shion walked home alone, she thought back over the events of the day. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Naruto during the breaks since Lee and Kiba had come and asked her various questions about herself. During those times, Naruto simply vanished from the room, almost like a ghost (let's not bring that up again!). He would sneak back in as the bell rang, and they had a substitute teacher for their lessons that day who made it a point to come on time (Kakashi could learn from this guy), taking away her chances to speak with him.

She sighed loudly, placing her hands in her skirt's pockets. One hand pressed against something that crinkled, and she pulled a small slip of paper out of her pocket. She smiled as she reread his little admission. He was a strange one, that much was certain. There weren't many boys who would say what he had with innocent intentions, let along admit it openly when pressured.

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto was a strange boy, but that only meant that Shion had never met a guy like him before.

And she was definitely looking forward to getting to know him better.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers! It seems that people like this OOC Naruto and Shion pairing, so I'll be writing more chapters. Considering that this was meant to be a one shot, this story probably won't be all that long. But then again, you wouldn't want the story to drag on too much right? Thanks for reading! Oh, if you were wondering what the anime Shion was referring to was, it's the extremely creepy anime called Another!**

**Kagyuubi**


	3. Finding Your Secret Spot

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Finding Your Secret Spot**

* * *

"Shion-san! Come eat lunch with us!" Lee yelled across the classroom. The bell for second break had just rung and Shion was going to tell Hinata what she'd talked about with Naruto the previous day when Lee so loudly interrupted. Shion sighed exasperatedly. There were nicer ways to call out to a girl rather than screaming at them from one end of the room to the other. Then again, Lee was naturally loud, whether or not he was in a conversation or quoting his idol Guy-sensei, the sensei in charge of P.E.

Shion walked over to Lee and his group of boys, smiling warmly despite her slight irritation. As she reached him, she noticed that the desks had been pushed together in a row, with a spot for her at the head of the table. She felt her head swelling and quickly decided to sweep this little offer off the table before her ego forced her to stay. "I'm sorry Lee-san, but I have something to do. Maybe next time." she gave him an apologetic smile, trying not to giggle when his face fell comically.

"Ah, well it is good to know that the flames of youth burn brightly within you! Go complete your task with the burning passion Guy-sensei encourages us with!" Lee's eyes filled with manly tears as he spoke of his idol. He stuck out his fist and gave her a thumbs up, grinning that blinding grin of his while assuming his 'nice guy' pose. "Good luck Shion-san, hopefully you can join us next time!"

Shion squinted against the glare, unable to see Lee's face. Just what brand of toothpaste did he use? And how much?! "Uh, thanks Lee-san. I'll be going now." Lee nodded and sat down, finally sheathing his pearly whites. Shion blinked the spots out of her eyes and bowed to the other boys apologetically. "Sorry everyone, I hope you'll offer me the chance to eat lunch with you some other time."

As the boys made their various comments regarding her departure, Shion got the chance to observe them all. The boy named Shikamaru seemed to be barely awake, mumbling something about girls being troublesome. Choji had not stopped eating the entire time, and she wondered how he could finish those two massive bentos he had with him in time for the next block of classes. Sai ate his food delicately, handling his chopsticks almost like he would a paintbrush. Despite the relative warmth of the day, he was dressed in his winter uniform and looked completely comfortable. Kiba sat backwards on his chair, giving all who walked behind him a decent view of his tattered boxers (how charming).

As Shion turned to leave, she noticed Sasuke making his way towards the group, having just shaken off a very disappointed looking Ino and Sakura at the door. He sat down at the seat next to Kiba and began playing with a tennis ball, looking rather bored. He made no effort to acknowledge Shion, which would usually have made her mad, but for some reason she found herself staring at his hair. There was no way anyone's hair could spike up like that, aside from Naruto's of course. His hair seemed to defy gravity, and looked really soft too. Without thinking about what she was doing, she reached out and touched his hair, unaware of the death stares she received from every girl in the room.

Shion was surprised to find it was as soft as it looked. She stroked his hair curiously, almost like one would pet a cat, not noticing the angry veins twitching on Sasuke's temple. Shion was jolted out of her trance when he spoke up. "Having fun?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Wow, your hair is so soft!" just as Sasuke was about to smirk and make a self-praising comment, she continued. "But it's a little greasy. How often do you wash your hair?"

"Bahahaha! Looks like Prince Sasuke-sama isn't as perfect as he thinks!" snorted Kiba mockingly. Sasuke reached over and smacked the back of his head, clearly irked.

"I wash it often enough." Sasuke muttered, his hair casting the top half of his face in shadow.

"Oh really? So what is this oily feeling then? Do you use a hair care product or something?" the entire class had gone silent, and even the boys were trying not to look like they were listening.

"..." Sasuke had an image to maintain, he couldn't just reveal his hairstyling secrets to anyone, let alone the entire class!

Shion looked at her watch and groaned. "Oh no, I've wasted too much time! Tell me later okay?" with that, she ran off, leaving a very confused Sasuke to deal with the rest of the eagerly listening class. That was probably the first time a girl other than Hinata and Tenten had left him alone rather than sticking to him like glue, begging for a date. Hell, that was the first time a girl ever touched his hair! Usually he would be quite irritated if one of the guys messed up his perfectly styled hair, but right now, he found that he hadn't minded when Shion did it.

Wait, no. He did mind because now Shion had opened the flood gates. Every girl who liked him would now feel emboldened enough to try and touch his hair. Sasuke sighed loudly. Shikamaru was right - girls are troublesome (this is not Kagyuubi's opinion, far from it in fact!).

* * *

~Outside the Classroom~

* * *

Shion quickly hurried out of the classroom and looked around. For once, she'd seen Naruto slinking out of the room like a ninja fox (if such a thing existed). She'd seen him turn right and did the same, though she soon became hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of corridors. Who knew the school was so big? She quickly asked a passer-by if she'd seen a blonde kid wearing large headphones walking by. The girl told her that she seen 'that Uzumaki weirdo' heading towards the stairs that lead to the roof. She then warned Shion to watch out around him; the silent types were often the most dangerous and/or crazy.

Shion quickly made her way to the flight of stairs, laughing to herself over Naruto's reputation outside the classroom. She decided it was better not mention it to him though, or that would be the end of all the progress he had made so far.

At the top of the stairs was a metal door with a push-to-open bar set in the middle. She did so, swinging the door open with a loud bang and discovering a shocking scene before her.

Naruto was standing on the low wall surrounding the roof, nearly losing his balance when he heard the loud bang of the door as it opened. His bag was placed neatly against the small cement wall and he was wearing his headphones, clearly giving himself a soundtrack for his suicide. Shion's eyes widened with panic and she ran over to him, stopping just within arm's reach.

"Naruto-san! Don't do it!" she yelled. Naruto turned his head to face her, giving her his version of a surprised look. "I know you're lonely and I know how much being alone can hurt but this isn't the only way out!"

Naruto eyebrows tilted in a quizzical manner as he took off his headphones and let them rest around his neck. A strong breeze blew past him and he nearly lost his balance, giving Shion a mini heart attack. She had to talk him down before she became hysterical.

"Please Naruto! It doesn't have to end like this! There so much you haven't done yet! Look, whatever's on your mind, you don't need to suffer through it alone! I'm your friend! I'm here for you!" tears began to well up in her eyes as she realized the friend she'd just come to know was trying to end his own life.

Naruto seemed rather taken aback as he watched the tears stream down her cheeks. He reached into his pocket and tossed her a neatly folded handkerchief. She clutched it tightly in her hands, feeling the heavy burden of another person's life resting on her every word. Naruto turned away as she wiped away the tears, gazing up at the bright blue summer sky and apparently enjoying the feel of the warm breeze on his skin for the last time.

Shion couldn't stop her tears pouring down her cheeks now. She needed to let him know that jumping wasn't his only option. Even the loneliest person could be saved if they had one friend with them, and Shion was willing to fill that role. She wanted to be his friend, if he would let her.

"Please Naruto!" she held out her hand to him as he turned to face her again. "Please step back from that ledge and talk to me!" His inability to speak in this situation was making her desperate, and she quickly wrapped her arms around his leg when he didn't take her hand, making him flinch and almost topple over the edge. "I won't let you jump Naruto! You're my friend, and I look out for my friends!"

Naruto reached down and very hesitantly tapped the top of her head to get her attention. When she looked up at him, she was shocked to see the tender expression on his face. It was a look of awe and surprise, mixed with what might have been happiness (she couldn't tell at this stage).

He then pointed over the edge of the wall, simply telling her to look. She did so, and was unable to comprehend what she was seeing. On the other side of the wall was...

Another roof.

_'Huh?' _thought Shion. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed out loud, nearly making Naruto tip over. This second roof was maybe half a metre lower that the roof she was standing on. It was a small three metre by three metre square with no surrounding walls, offering an uninterrupted view of the sports field and surrounding school grounds below. It seemed that Naruto came here often, since a small spot was clear of leaves near the middle of the square. In that spot sat Naruto's usual lunch of two onigiri and a bottle of green tea.

"Oh, so this is where you disappear to when there are people near your desk during break." said Shion. She glanced up at Naruto to see him staring at her. It suddenly hit her that all her shouting and crying had been for nothing, and she was still hugging his leg. A rosy blush spread from her chin to her hairline, and she hurriedly let go of his leg while mumbling her apologies.

He leapt over the edge of the wall, and Shion followed with a bit of difficulty, since she was wearing a skirt. Naruto cleared away a small patch of leaves next to his own, though with a fair amount of distance between them. Shion joined him, still blushing as she thought over everything she's said to him when she thought he was going to jump. How embarrassing!

She realized she was still holding Naruto's handkerchief and quickly wiped away the tear tracks on her face. She was glad she spent a few extra yen and purchased the waterproof mascara, otherwise her face would have been a mess. "I'll wash this and return it to you tomorrow." she said, looking at him long enough to get a nod of agreement before staring out at the scene below them. Students played outside, kicking a soccer ball to each other or simply sitting out in the sun chatting in little groups. Shion could even see Lee sprinting around the running track as he did every break, a set of dumbbells in each hand.

With the blue sky above and the lush green grounds around them, the vista Shion was seeing was absolutely beautiful. The trees and plants were definitely not as green in Oni in Kuni. To think Naruto came here all the time... He had found himself the perfect secret spot. A secret spot that now she knew about too. She decided to explain herself, and apologize for intruding on his hiding place.

"I uh... I got a little crazy back there. I thought you were trying to commit suicide." she chuckled lightly. "I guess my overactive imagination was running wild... Sorry." Naruto shook his head and pulled out his notepad.

**Why are you apologizing?**

"Well... Can I at least say sorry for intruding on your secret spot?" Naruto shook his head and scribbled his reply.

**I don't mind.**

"Oh really? So I can come here with you again sometime?" Shion asked. Naruto looked at her sharply, eyes wide with disbelief. Had she gone too far again? She watched as he wrote his answer as quickly as he could, and the message he showed her was almost indecipherable.

**You want to spend your break with me? What about your friends?**

Shion shook her head Naruto style. "You still don't get it. You're my friend too, and I want to get to know you!" she giggled as his cheeks gained a pink tinge. "Now why are you blushing? Are you thinking something perverted about me again?" Naruto quickly shook his head, a panicked look on his face as he wrote his answer.

**When you thought I was jumping and you said you'd be there for me and that I was your friend... It made me really happy.**

Now it was Shion's turn to be embarrassed. "Well it's true. I'm here for you, so if you want to talk about something that's bothering you, I'll listen."

Naruto tore off the top sheet of paper and took a while to write his reply, crossing out several responses until he finally settled on a simple...

**Thank you, Shion-san.**

He looked her in the eyes, his blue eyes locking with her lavender ones. He gave her his odd expression (trying to whistle with his mouth closed - henceforth known as the 'Naruto Look') trying to convey the sincerity of his gratitude. Shion smiled her angelic smile and nodded her understanding, before the pair gazed out over the school grounds, enjoying a not so unusual quiet moment together, with no writing or words spoken between them as they enjoyed the summer day and each other's company...

Until Shion's stomach growled loudly, a punishment for leaving her lunch of last night's leftovers in her desk.

She blushed and kept her eyes on Lee as he did his (it should be impossible!) handstand push-ups. She knew there was no way Naruto hadn't heard her stomach gurgle. While he was different than most boys, she was sure he'd take the opportunity to tease a girl about her stomach related noises, though it might not come across as strongly through writing.

Instead what he did was much more surprising. A hand holding an onigiri thrust itself into her field of view, quivering slightly as Naruto fought his natural urge to withdraw his hand away. Shion smiled and shook her head. "No, you need that more than I do. I have a bento in my desk..." Naruto shook his head and pushed the onigiri into her hands, pulling his hand away before it touched hers. He then reached for his notepad, wrote down a sentence and showed it to her.

**I don't mind. I've seen friends share food with each other before, so I want to share my lunch with you.**

Shion was honestly touched, and accepted the gift of food gratefully. Naruto finally understood that she was his friend, and even surprised her with his knowledge on friendships. Then again, he'd probably spent a lot of time watching other people do things like this while he watched from a distance. Finally, it was his turn and Shion was honoured to share in his first experience.

Shion and Naruto sat side by side and ate the convenience store onigiri together, and it tasted even better than usual.

* * *

~Afternoon Homeroom~

* * *

"S-Shion-san, if you don't mind me asking, w-where did you go during second b-break?"

Shion closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying not to let the wave of irritation that had washed over her appear on her face. She thought Hinata was a sweet girl, and could definitely see the attractiveness of her shy demeanour, but that _stutter..._

She quickly schooled her face into her angelic smile and directed it at the dark haired girl sitting diagonally from her. Naruto had his headphones on and appeared to be asleep, but she whispered her answer anyway. "I went to find Naruto and spent the rest of the break with him in his secret place."

"..." Hinata had the most horrified look on her face, which alarmed Shion. She thought back over her sentence and tried to think of different ways it could be interpreted.

Her eyes widened with realization and she quickly shook her hands in front of her, almost stuttering like Hinata in her attempt to explain herself. "I-I don't mean it like that! We didn't do _that_! I was raised in a temple by the world's strictest priests for crying out loud!"

"... O-Okay..." Hinata said after a long pause, eyes still regarding Shion dubiously.

"I'm telling the truth! A-Anyway, a lot of things happened and we ended up having lunch together. That's all." Shion realized that their little encounter should probably be kept between Naruto and herself, since the school would probably put him on suicide watch if they found out.

Hinata was still giving her a suspicious look, which was actually pretty bold for the girl who usually tried to stay out of everyone's way. Maybe she was getting more comfortable around Shion. That still didn't excuse her for thinking/insinuating that she had been doing certain things with Naruto. It's not like he would even be able to... Ah-ha!

"Alright, I'll prove it! Naruto still isn't comfortable with anyone touching him, so how could I do... that stuff... without physical contact?" Hinata nodded slowly, seemingly convinced, but she was blushing now. An innocent girl like her shouldn't be having these discussions, though it was her that jumped to that conclusion in the first place... (closet pervert?)

Shion then told her everything she'd learned about Naruto over the last two days and how he was progressing. Hinata smiled when she heard that Naruto had accepted Shion as his first friend, though she still didn't know the circumstances that had led up to it.

"I-I'm glad that Naruto-san is o-opening up. I was really worried a-about him, but I c-couldn't speak to him... I'm a little shy too..."

_'Now that's an understatement.'_ thought Shion. The substitute sensei had just finished marking attendance when the bell rang. He dismissed the class and headed out first, followed closely by the eager students just waiting to escape. Shion and Hinata met up with Ino and Sakura and got ready to leave. Sakura had insisted on taking Shion to an ice cream shop that served the best ice cream in Konoha. How could she refuse?

As they turned to leave, Shion noticed two things and missed another. The first thing she noticed was the note on the blackboard the substitute sensei had left for Kakashi.

'Please elect a pair of Gakkyū Iinchō (Class Representatives) tomorrow morning. I was shocked to find that this class did not have anyone to fill these very important roles. Who will represent Class 2-B at the student council meetings?'

Shion giggled when she finished reading the note. Trust Kakashi-sensei to forget something so important; Shion had thought on her first day that this school didn't have the Iinchō system. The second thing she noticed was that Naruto was still asleep, either that or he hadn't heard the bell through his headphones.

She stopped at the door and told the girls she'd catch up, running back to wake Naruto. She reached him and placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump. It was both amazing and saddening that he even did it in his sleep. He slowly lifted his head and looked around blearily. After realizing that everyone had gone home, he gave Shion a nod of thanks and stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Shion was surprised to notice that Naruto was just a centimetre taller than her, and she wasn't sure if it was his spiky hair that gave him the extra height.

"So Naruto-san," Shion said cheerfully. "I'm going to an ice cream shop with the girls. Do you want to come?" Naruto gave her a stunned look, and then shook his head. Shion guessed he had never been invited out before and just wasn't ready yet, which was fine. He had still made a lot of progress today, letting her share his secret spot on the roof and acknowledging her as his friend.

"Maybe next time then. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. See you!" Naruto nodded again and waved to her as she left.

Now for the third thing Shion didn't notice. From the door at the front of the class, Ami and her two friends stood watching their little exchange. Once they had confirmed her departure, they followed her from a distance all the way to the ice cream shop, where they hid in the bushes outside and watched.

"I can't believe she went and broke the Sasuke Rules! Does she not know or does she have a death wish?!" muttered Ami indignantly, flicking her unevenly cut hair over her shoulders.

"I do believe Ino-san and Sakura-san informed her of them the previously day." her second in command Noriko (means law and order) said curtly, pushing her glasses up her nose.

The third member of the gang, Kazuna (means one vegetable (what the what?!)), chose that moment to butt in. "Well, there are three hundred of them, cut the new girl some slack yeah?" Ami and Noriko scowled at her until she was silent. Now Kazuna was definitely a few vegetables short of a... vegetable patch... and was told by Ami on day one to be one of those girls that was seen and not heard. Occasionally she forgot, like just now and had to be reminded. Kazuna squatted down in the bushes looking utterly downcast, not even noticing that she was flashing her two 'friends'.

_'Huh, they're pink today.'_ thought Ami, who'd seen her subordinate's panties way more often than she'd like to admit, which was why it wasn't that much of a big deal now. She shook her head violently to cast away those extremely unnecessary thoughts. "So she knows about the Sasuke Rules and still broke rule number one? That bitch needs to be schooled properly if she can't remember..." she gestured to Noriko, who straightened her glasses and recited the rule with her hand over her heart (excessive much?).

"Rule Number One: _Never_ touch Sasuke-kun's amazing hair."

"That's right. I think it's time we gave her a warning, don't you? We'll arrange something special for her in her shoe locker." Ami chuckled nastily.

"Oooh! Are we going to give her a special present? Can I bake her some cookies?" Ami was about to reprimand Kazuna when she considered her suggestion. For once, the idiot had actually made a decent proposal, though she probably didn't know it.

"Kazuna, that's… a great idea. I'll give you a special recipe and you have to follow it to the letter. Understand?"

"Yes sir!" she replied cheerfully. Ami nodded at Noriko and the bespectacled girl smacked the back of Kazuna's head. "Owie! Why did you do that?" she asked, trying to blink her tears away.

"You spoke. Seen and not heard remember?" said Noriko, biting off each word. She raised her hand again when she saw Kazuna open her mouth.

"Oh yeah. Sorr- OW!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Starting this chapter was hard! But once I hit the jumping scene, the words just flowed out of my mind and on to the screen. Funnily enough, I had the song Jumper by Third Eye Blind and My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion (the Titanic theme) in my head when I wrote the scene! Anyway this chapter sets the stage for the next one and introduces some new characters – What did you guys think of Noriko and Kazuna? When I saw the meaning for the name Kazuna, I just had to use it for the dumb girl. Hopefully she's still endearing in her own way though!**

**Kagyuubi**


	4. Finding Your Class Representative

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Finding Your Class Representative**

* * *

Shion yawned loudly as she walked through the front doors of Konoha High School, the result of staying up until three in the morning surfing the net. She hadn't meant too, but there were too many funny videos online to stop at one...

She stumbled into the locker area and slowly located her own. Yawning loudly, she slipped off her walking shoes and opened her locker to grab her school ones when she noticed something odd. A poorly wrapped yellow package tied off at the top with a sloppy green bow sat waiting on the ledge reserved for her shoes. Shion glanced around to make sure no one was looking and pulled it out, checking for a note or message of some kind.

_'Weird. Who'd go to the trouble of sneaking a gift into my locker and not leave a note?'_ as Shion opened the present and peeked inside, she doubted it was a secret admirer... Well maybe Lee, but she doubted he knew how to make cookies. No, even though it was poorly wrapped, this had to be a gift from a girl (or a very girly boy). But who?

Shion pondered over the sender of the mystery cookies as she entered the classroom and took her seat. She was surprised to find that Naruto wasn't already here; usually he came early to avoid the crowd. Shion placed the cookies on her desk and decided to wait for her four friends to arrive; they'd probably know who had a penchant for handing out random cookies.

Soon the students of Class 2-B began to file into the classroom, greeting each other and engaging in mindless chatter. Hinata and Tenten took their seats in front of Naruto's desk and Shion walked over to them, cookie bag in hand. "Good morning Hinata-san, Tenten-san." she said cheerfully.

"Morning!" the two chorused in perfect sync.

_'Creepy!'_ thought Shion. "Hey, did you guys leave a bag of cookies in my locker?" she said, holding up the yellow bag.

"N-No, Shion-san." stuttered Hinata.

"It wasn't me either." said Tenten. Her smile changed into a teasing grin. "Maybe you have a secret admirer!"

"I doubt that. I honestly don't know who would have done this, I haven't done anything special for anyone other than Naruto since I arrived here, and I don't think he knows how to make cookies."

"Well, believe it or not, but you happen to have caught the attention of several boys in this class." said Tenten, pointing towards the middle of the classroom. Shion followed her extended finger, eventually spotting the closely packed desks that marked the boy's area in the classroom. Her eyes landed on Lee and Kiba, who waved enthusiastically to her, while the others simply nodded or smiled politely. Sasuke ignored her, pointedly staring out the window. He must have still been sore about the oily hair situation that Shion had landed him in the day before.

"Huh. I'll go ask them then." said Shion, weaving her way between the desks to the boys. She stopped in front of Lee and gave him her angelic grin, since he was one of the most susceptible. "Hey Lee-san, did you or any of the boys leave me a bag of cookies in my locker?"

"I do not think so Shion-san! Do you like cookies?" his enthusiasm was far too overwhelming, enough to make Shion want to step back a few feet lest she be burned by his 'flames of passion and youth'.

"Uh, yeah... I don't dislike them..." Shion was vaguely worried when Lee pulled out his notepad (usually reserved for Guy-sensei's impromptu lectures) and scrawled something down. Was he making a record of her likes and dislikes? So creepy...

Lee grinned his blinding grin at her, obviously waiting for more tidbits about Shion. Unfortunately for him, the blonde girl didn't have the slightest inclination of sharing anymore personal information, just in case it came back to bite her on the ass one day. Instead she pulled out the small bag of cookies and held it in front of his face. "Anyway, this was waiting for me in locker this morning. Does it look familiar?"

Apparently it did, since Lee's face turned to the colour of old porridge when he saw the cookie bag. Against his will, his eyes seemed to drift to his left, briefly focusing on the corner seat of the back row on the opposite side of the room from Naruto's desk. His eyes jumped back to Shion like he'd been caught doing something naughty and he gave her a very weak smile completely unlike his normal grin. "N-No Fujimura-san! I have never seen something like that before. Excuse me!" with that, he quickly left the room, mentioning something about going to the bathroom to those who questioned him, despite the fact that the final bell had just rung.

_'Huh. Weird. He obviously has seen this before, or something like it.'_ thought Shion. But why was he so scared of a bag of cookies? Maybe he'd had some traumatic experience with them when he was a kid? Shion's imagination went into overdrive at that moment, simulating various cookie related accidents and she covered her mouth with her hands to hide her giggling. If she told Naruto about her suspicions on Lee's cookie problems, would he find it funny too or would he think she was crazy? Probably the latter, since friends laugh together while best friends laugh at each other. Right now, they were just at the 'friends' stage.

Anyway, back to the cookie dilemma (not Lee's). Shion figured that she she'd just ask the class at once, that way the sender would confront her later if they were too shy to own up in front of the entire class. They'd have to tell her sooner or later, rather than risk Shion going around asking everyone until they were caught.

Meanwhile, over at the corner of the classroom Rock Lee had been fearfully observing, Ami and her hench(wo)men were watching Shion with varying emotions and facial expressions. Ami was rather frustrated that Shion was too busy being a busy body to eat the damn cookies and Noriko was coldly watching her, waiting for the moment when she tasted their punishment.

But Kazuna was worried, and eventually broke under the pressure, babbling her worries out in a single breath. "Do you think she'll like them? I put my heart and soul into making them but I couldn't taste them to see if they came out alright! What if they taste bad? What if she finds out it was me and she hates me forever? I couldn't live with her giving me the evil eye every time we met, I'd die! Oh, what do I do Ami-OW!"

Noriko nodded curtly to Ami as Kazuna subsided into tearful silence, keeping her hand near the back of the stupid girl's head just in case she started speaking again. Ami sighed with annoyance and deigned to answer her questions, lest they suffer another outburst from the vegetable later on. "Look idiot, she doesn't have to like us, no one does! That's the hard life we chose when we decided to enforce the Sasuke Rules. Not everyone likes law enforcement after all, no matter how important they are. Besides, she's not supposed to find out you made them, and there's no way to trace it back to you-"

"Excuse me! Can I have your attention?" called Shion. When she was sure the whole class was listening (not that she had to try hard to get their attention), she continued. "Did anyone here leave this bag of cookies in my locker?"

Ami smirked knowingly. There was no way that rule breaker would find out that her little group had planted the tainted cookies. Now all she had to do was wait quietly until she ate them, not suspecting a thing...

"Oooh! Oooh! It was me! I made them!" yelled Kazuna, raising her hand while grinning like a moron. Noriko quickly administered a silencing slap to the back of her head and placed her hand over Kazuna's mouth for good measure.

"Huh? Who said that?" asked Shion, glancing around for the person who had spoken.

"I-I think someone outside the classroom shouted it out and ran off." said Ami, hoisting a very fake looking smile up on her face.

"Is that so? What a pity..." murmured Shion as she moved back to her seat. Ami smirked nastily as she opened the bag of cookies, and then groaned with frustration as she closed the bag and placed it back in her desk.

When was that bitch going to eat her damn cookies?!

Shion was blissfully unaware of the negative thoughts being sent her way, instead focusing on the rather worrying case of Naruto's absence. She wanted to share the cookies with him, as repayment for the onigiri he'd given her during their lunch break on the roof. It was only fair after all.

Kakashi-sensei soon wandered in ten minutes late, reading a green book while dragging poor Lee into the room by his ear. "You're late!" roared Ino and Sakura, as they usually did while Lee quickly scurried to his seat, rubbing his very sore ear.

"Sorry, sorry. I woke up late this morning (no surprises there!) and as I was walking out the door, my neighbour asked me to help her move some furniture around before she left for work..." as the class began to mutter about lame excuses, Kakashi held up a hand for silence. "And this time, I have proof!"

The students of Class 2-B were shocked into silence. He had proof? Kakashi quickly slipped a small Polaroid picture out of his little green book and held it up for the class to see. The students left their seats and crowded around, eager to see what could be proof of Kakashi's first legitimate reason for being late.

The picture was of Kakashi and a little old lady standing outside an open door surrounded by cardboard boxes. Kakashi was holding up the peace sign and giving the camera his weird little eye smile, while the old lady looked somewhat annoyed by his antics.

"Wow, looks like he's telling the truth," said Kiba, genuine amazement in his voice. "What if he was telling the truth all the other times he was late?" the class as one thought back over his previous excuses, wondering how plausible some of them really were. It was a rather big shock for some of the students, having to rethink their entire mindset concerning Kakashi. Only Sakura noticed the victorious glint in his one eye, and that made her re-examine the photo much more thoroughly.

"Hold it right there!" said Sakura, snatching the picture out of her sensei's hand. She examined it closely then scowled at the now nervous Kakashi. Couldn't he catch a break just once? "The shirt he's wearing in the photo is different to the one he's wearing now!"

Sure enough, Kakashi's blue striped shirt was a far cry from the lime green shirt he had on in the photo. "Uh, I had to change it since it got all dusty. As a proud sensei of Konoha High School, I have to look the part you know?" the other students nodded, acknowledging his point. It sounded reasonable enough, but Sakura wasn't finished yet.

"Oh really?" she said, smirking evilly. Kakashi felt shivers running down his spine; the girl could look absolutely demonic when she needed to, despite her ridiculous pink hair (it's gotta be dyed right?). "Then why does the date on the back of the photo say that this picture was taken two years ago?" she slammed the photo down on Kakashi's desk, literally playing her trap/trump card.

_'Oh crap. I didn't check the date! And are we playing Yu-Gi-Oh now?'_ thought Kakashi, slightly missing the point, getting off topic, losing the plot, etc... "I... Uh..." he gazed helplessly at the students gathered around his desk giving him the evil eye and awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, uh... Let's take attendance?"

As the disgruntled students returned to their seats, leaving a shamed Kakashi at the front of the classroom, Shion noticed Naruto sneaking into the room, once again coming in after their chronically tardy sensei (meaning he was extremely late) like he had on her first day. He quickly ducked into his seat, pulling his headphones out of his bag. As he was about to place them over his ears, he became aware of Shion staring at him and slowly turned to face her, giving her the Naruto Look.

"Morning Naruto-san!" Shion said, trying to hide her relief. She was worried that he'd gotten sick and hadn't been able to call the school because of his speechlessness. "Why were you late- Oh Kami!"

Naruto jumped as Shion yelled her last two words out for the whole class to hear. Shion felt the eyes of her fellow students on her and quickly waved them away, smiling reassuringly while trying to fight down the blush threatening to light up her cheeks like a neon sign.

Once she was sure everyone was looking at Kakashi, she hurriedly whispered to Naruto. "What happened to your face?" Naruto gave her a confused look before using the window to check his reflection. On his left cheek (previously hidden when he hadn't been facing Shion) was a long but shallow cut, stretching from just under his eyelid to his jawline. A few droplets of blood welled up and slowly slid down his cheek and hung from his chin, threatening to drop on and stain his white shirt at the slightest movement. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the handkerchief she had washed the night before to return to him and used it to wipe the blood away, not noticing Naruto tensing up at her touch.

She gently dabbed away at the cut, stopping briefly when he flinched with pain. She couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this earlier... Or had he inflicted it on himself? Shion quickly derailed that train of thought before her imagination blew it out of proportion. There was no way Naruto would harm himself... Right?

Once she had cleaned up his face, she carefully folded the handkerchief and asked Naruto to hold it against his injured cheek. She was about to raise her hand to ask Kakashi if she could take the wounded blonde to the sick bay when a tapping noise from Naruto's direction caught her attention.

Naruto had placed his notepad on his desk, tapping his pen against a freshly written note.

**Don't tell anyone.**

"But you're hurt Naruto-san! I..." she faltered when he shook his head insistently and tapped the notepad with his pen. "Alright then... What do you want to do about it?" he quickly wrote his reply.

**Nothing.**

"You can't walk around with a handkerchief on your face all day! You have clean and dress the wound so it won't get infected. At least let me help..." she stopped when she noticed Naruto giving her that touched look again, that heart-rending mixture of awe and surprise that anyone would be concerned for his wellbeing.

**Thank you for your concern.**

"It's what friends do," she said resignedly, smiling despite her worries. "They care for and look out for one another." Naruto simply nodded and turned to face the front, where Kakashi had finally noticed the message on the board left by the substitute sensei the previous day.

"Did I forget to elect a pair of Class Reps? Whoops..." he turned to face the class, wary of their scowling at his poor handling of his duties as a sensei. "So, uh, who would like to volunteer?"

"I nominate Sasuke-kun!" yelled the female population of the class, instantly drawing that special annoyed look from the Uchiha that made them swoon.

"Do the boys have any objections?" asked Kakashi, pointedly ignoring Sasuke's death stare.

"Better him than me." said Kiba.

"How troublesome. As long as I'm not one of them, I don't care who the Class Reps are." muttered Shikamaru, obviously struggling to keep his eyes open.

"It's settled then! Uchiha-kun is the new male Class Representative!" the silver haired sensei quickly moved on, cutting through Sasuke's objections. "Now, who would like nominate to be the female Class Rep?"

"I'll do it! Oooh, oooh! Pick me!" yelled Kazuna, bouncing up and down in her seat with her hand up like a pre-schooler. The class only deliberated for a second before collectively replying.

"No!" the students of Class 2-B faced Kazuna with their arms raised in crosses. Kazuna became teary eyed and looked down sadly, the very epitome of a pitiful sight. Shion found herself feeling sorry for the girl she had not yet met. Why were people so against her becoming the Class Rep?

Tenten seemed to read her mind, whispering over Hinata's head to Shion. "You may not know this yet, but Kazuna-san isn't exactly the brightest bulb. In fact, her lights went out years ago, and there is definitely no one home in that noggin of hers."

"Ah, is that so?" Shion whispered back. "So she's an... airhead?" Shion couldn't think of a kinder word.

"The airiest. It's like her head was built to shield this massive brain full of potential, but then they realized as soon as they finished it and closed it up that they had forgotten to put the brain inside."

_'What a harsh and yet colourful analogy.'_ thought Shion, as she nodded her head Naruto style and turned back to Kakashi, who looked somewhat relieved that everyone had rejected Kazuna. After all, if someone volunteered and no one else stepped forward, then Class 2-B would have been stuck with the worst Class Rep since Maito Guy when Kakashi had been a student at the school.

"Would anyone else like to volunteer?" Kakashi asked hopefully, his eye glittering with desperation. Lee stood up, still holding the ear Kakashi had dragged into the room with. "No, Lee. You cannot nominate for female Class Rep. You may challenge Uchiha-kun for the role of male Class Rep." Kakashi stated plainly, somehow keeping a straight face as the class burst into laughter. Lee blushed and shook his head vigorously.

"No, no! I want to nominate Fujimura-san!" the class turned to face Shion, making her feel rather uncomfortable with all the attention on her.

_'Whatever you do, don't you dare make a sound!'_ she mentally scolded her stomach. If it decided to rumble when everyone was watching her...

"The Red Dog approves!" said Kiba, jabbing his thumb into his chest.

"I suppose she'd do a good job. She's responsible enough." said Ino as she filed her nails, clearly bored with the proceedings.

"Well, the class has no objections," Kakashi gestured to Shion. "Do you accept the title of Class Rep?"

Shion took a few moments to deliberate, but it was the sideways glance and subtle nod she got from Naruto that finally convinced her. He'd had some strange look of longing in his eyes; maybe he'd always dreamed about being the Class Rep but was too shy to nominate. "Sure, why not?" she said, her reasoning being that if she was the female Class Rep, Naruto might be willing to be nominated.

"Excellent," Kakashi turned to face the board and scrawled hers and Sasuke's names and titles down the right side of the board. "If you two would come up to the front of the class, I'll present you with your badges." Shion and Sasuke left their seats and hurried to the front, where Kakashi handed them a pair of glossy green Gakkyū Iinchō pins. "Please congratulate your Class Reps for this semester, let's hope they do well, etc., etc." Kakashi muttered unenthusiastically, causing only a few people to clap awkwardly for their new Class Reps.

As Shion was about to make her way back to her seat, she noticed Naruto eyeing Sasuke's badge. Was that a look of longing? Did he secretly wish to be the male Class Rep? Shion turned back to Kakashi, deciding to throw caution to the winds.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'd like to nominate a male Class Rep. I think he'll do a great job."

"Oh really? Well, we've already selected Uchiha-kun, who was so willing to take the job," Kakashi winked at a fuming Sasuke, whose usual silent demeanour worked against him by not allowing him to argue back, since it would make him look uncool. "But let's hear your suggestion."

Shion turned to face Naruto and gave him a smile, which instantly made him go rigid with fear as he realized what she was planning to do. "I nominate Naruto-san!" she called out cheerfully. The class went silent as her words rang out. No one wanted to look him in the eyes, but Naruto had become acutely aware of his classmates' presence.

A few awkward minutes passed without a word being said; an impossible feat for a class of thirty teenagers. Then slowly, the students of Class 2-B turned to face Naruto, laying judging and critical eyes on him. As Naruto began to sink lower and lower into his seat, Shion began to have doubts about her idea. Maybe she had misread him, and while it was good that people were acknowledging his presence, the way they were doing it wasn't the best way…

Naruto suddenly leapt to his feet, still clutching his handkerchief to his face. Before anyone could make a move to stop him, he slid open the window by his desk, leapt up onto the windowsill and jumped out, taking only his notepad with him.

For a few moments, the students stared at the window in silent shock. Then Shion remembered one terrible fact: they were on the _second floor_. She rushed over to Naruto's desk, followed by a few mildly curious souls and leaned over the edge, hoping against hope that she wouldn't see a red stain on the footpath below.

Instead, she saw Naruto climbing with surprising agility down windowsills and ledges until he landed on the pavement below. He gazed up at Shion and the other students watching him from the window and took off running, heading for the main school gate.

Shion's heart was still racing, but it seemed the boys and girls of class 2-B did not feel the same way. They calmly returned to their seats, while Kakashi retreated from the window near his desk with a resigned look on his face.

The blonde girl from Oni no Kuni could not believe the lack of concern her fellow classmates showed for the lonely Uzumaki. What was wrong with these people?! Her mental tirade was interrupted by Kakashi, who gently told her to take her seat so he could start the first class of the morning.

* * *

~Afternoon Homeroom~

* * *

"Stand. Bow." Sasuke ordered, sounding like he really couldn't care less. The students did as their new Class Rep instructed, the girls much more enthusiastically than the boys.

"Dismissed." said Kakashi, already halfway out the door. With the customary farewells said, the class kicked into high gear, chattering happily amongst themselves as they gathered up their gear and left the classroom. As Kiba was about to sling his bag over his shoulder and leave with Sasuke, he felt a hand on his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned around, quickly flashing what he thought was a charming grin at Shion.

_'Ugh, so cheesy.'_ thought Shion. Obviously Kiba thought the old school bad boy look was still fashionable, which unfortunately no longer worked on the ladies (the smart ones anyway!). Still, she needed his help and couldn't afford to offend him now. "Inuzuka-san, would you mind doing me a favour?"

Kiba's grin widened. "Hey, no need to be so formal! Kiba is fine."

"Will you help me Kiba-san?" she asked again, turning on the puppy dog eyes for good measure. She almost smirked; there was no way she could refuse her now. She wasn't disappointed.

"Of course! The Red Dog doesn't leave a damsel in distress!" while he was trying to sell himself as the white knight for women everywhere, Shion took it as mildly insulting.

_'Damsel in distress? Who the hell does he think he is?'_ she thought, fighting against her natural urge to scowl. Instead, she gave him her dazzling angelic smile. "You'll help me? Why thank you Kiba-san! You're so kind!"

Her overly girly acting was making her feel sick, but it was working. "So, what did you need my assistance for?" asked the Red Dog, his self-important grin stretching to impossible proportions.

"Could you take me to Naruto-san's house? I heard from a friend that you followed him home... Uh, that you know where he lives." she held up Naruto's old orange backpack. "He left this behind when he... Took the afternoon off."

The smile dropped off his face faster than Naruto had leapt out the window. "Uh, yeah. I guess I could." he scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out the best way to say what was on his mind. "I wouldn't recommend going there though. He's a weird guy and he lives in a bad part of town."

A slightly frosty tone coloured Shion's next few words. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go to his house regardless." the change in her demeanour was obvious. Kiba flinched back like he'd been slapped (a feeling he knew all too well). Maybe Shion had a scary side too like most girls.

"A-Alright, I'll take you."

* * *

~Old Residential District~

* * *

"Here we are." said Kiba, pointing to an old house at the end of a nameless street, one of many similar looking ones in this older part of town. They'd walked for nearly twenty minutes to get here, partially due to Kiba losing his way at times, though he tried to hide it. "I'll be going now." he looked rather uncomfortable so Shion bade him farewell and watched him leave. _'Huh. Some white knight he is, leaving a girl alone in a dangerous part of town.'_

Kiba scurried off without a backward glance, leaving Shion to walk down the dark street alone. The streetlights weren't working and the sun had begun to set, casting deep shadows everywhere. The road ended in a cul-de-sac, with six identical houses (aside from their unique states of dilapidation) arranged in a half circle. They were built on a single plot of land that was abundant with long uncut grass and weeds. It seemed that the developers had once had plans to turn the place into a luxury micro community, since an empty half built swimming pool and a rusty old playground were waiting sadly next to one of the houses, unused and uncared for.

Shion headed towards the houses and stopped abruptly, realizing she'd forgotten which one Kiba had pointed out was Naruto's. The lights were on in three of the houses, but she really didn't feel like knocking on all of them until she found the right one. Luckily for her, one of the front doors opened and a man dressed in a police officer's uniform stepped out, hauling pair of black rubbish bags to the pavement.

"Excuse me!" called out Shion, glad to see another person in this lonely street. "Could you tell me where Uzumaki Naruto lives?"

"Uzu-kun? He lives next door." he replied, pointing to his left.

_'Uzu-kun?'_ Shion eyed the officer dubiously. Who was this guy? Despite her concerns, he seemed friendly enough, giving her a smile when she recognized her uniform.

"Are you a friend of his from school?"

"Yeah, I came to return his school bag. He left it behind." she replied, holding up Naruto's backpack. The officer's grin grew wider.

"That's great! I'm glad that he's finally making friends. He's such a good kid, but no one will talk to him because, well... he doesn't."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you refer to him so familiarly?" she asked, genuinely curious about Naruto's relationship with his neighbours. If he didn't speak with anyone, how was he on such good terms with this guy?

"Huh? Oh, my family has become good friends with him over the last few years or so. Naruto once offered to look after my daughter when I was called to a crime scene in the middle of the night and I couldn't find someone to look after her. He's been her babysitter for the past few years now, and he does it for free! He won't take my money either, so in return I help him with odd jobs around the house. Last week I helped him fix his front gate, and the look on his face was so thankful and sincere, it really made it worthwhile you know?"

Now that was a surprising piece of information. Was Naruto good with kids, despite not being able to speak? Or was the police officer's daughter just as strange? "I see." replied Shion. "Well its good know he has some friends at home as well as at school."

"That kid has a good heart. Thank you for being his friend. Well, I won't hold you up any longer. Goodnight, and make sure you get home safely." the police officer smiled at Shion and then turned and headed back up the small footpath leading to his front door.

She heard the front door close as she walked over to the house next door. As she opened the waist high gate, she noticed that it was built of wooden planks slightly newer than the rest of fence. The hinges were still shiny, indicating that the gate had been replaced recently. It opened without a creak, and she slowly made her way to the front door, becoming a little more nervous with each step. How would Naruto react to her visiting him at home? If this was his little haven away from school, then her presence wouldn't be appreciated would it? How would she explain how she knew where to find him?

She decided to peek in through the front window, just to make sure she had the right house. What she saw inside thoroughly surprised her.

Naruto was seated in a small threadbare couch, reading manga and wearing his trademark headphones. While that wasn't unusual, the strange reddish-orange cat on his lap was. Who knew Uzumaki Naruto was a cat person? At least, she thought it was a cat (it had a decidedly foxy looking face).

He stroked it gently as he read, then put the book down and bundled the cat up in his arms, giving it hug. His mouth was moving, but Shion couldn't tell if he was speaking or not. If he was, she desperately wished she could have heard his voice, had the window not been in her way.

She noticed that he had bandaged his cheek wound neatly. In fact, it looked almost professional. As he tried to put the cat down and leave the couch, it stuck out its claws and waved them about threateningly (explaining what had happened to his face). Naruto gave the cat his Naruto Look and sat down again, placing the fluffy creature back on his lap. As he resumed petting it, she watched as his 'Naruto Look' (trying to whistle with his mouth closed) stretched into a full blown grin. It was first smile she'd ever seen on his face!

So that's what he'd been trying to do every time he gave her that 'Naruto Look' of his. He'd been trying to smile! Shion found herself smiling fondly. So the boy could smile like a normal person!

She stepped away from the window and placed his bag by the front door. She didn't want to interrupt that little scene, it was too precious. Instead, she quietly sneaked away, disappearing into the dark streets lit only by moonlight.

If she managed to get him to smile like that at school, then she could start the next phase of his social readjustment: making a new friend (with a little bit of her help).

And she already knew the perfect person for the task.

* * *

**Finding Your Omake: Bells Ring and Dreams Sing**

* * *

"Nighty-night Shio-chan!" Shion's mother's voice wafted up the stairs, reaching the blonde girl's ears just as she was opening her bedroom door. She smiled, cradling her mother's gift gently in her hand as she bid her goodnight.

"Goodnight Okaasan. See you in the morning." with that said, she gently closed the door behind her, adhering strictly to Fujimura Miroku's House Law Number Seven: Never Slam Doors Loudly. Her mother's rules were referred to between them as 'Laws' since they were in her mother's eyes just as important and just as unforgivingly enforced.

When Shion was four, her mother had returned from an overseas trip to visit her daughter at the temple. Miroku stayed for three days, and Shion unwittingly broke a Miroku Law (which were still being devised for the day in which mother and daughter would live under the same roof) on day two.

Miroku Law Number Three: Never Dip into Okaasan's Makeup Kit without Permission. Shion had found her mother's makeup and attempted to replicate her mother's 'going out with friends' look. When Miroku found the disastrous painting Shion had made on her own face, she took a few minutes to have good chuckle, then quite seriously informed her daughter of Law Number Three, stating that ignorance of the law didn't make it any less applicable when Shion tried to argue that she hadn't known of such laws.

Shion then spent her afternoon playtime in her cot, while her mother sat watching her like a prison warden, occasionally making her laugh with a silly face or noise to pass the time. Once Shion was freed from her prison, she vowed to follow all the Laws to the letter, getting her mother to write them all down in a tiny little book.

Fourteen years on, and the now grubby, paint splattered, moderately damaged and now fragile book still resided in her desk drawer, amongst Shion's other childhood treasures. The makeup law was still adhered to strictly, and even Law Number Five: Tell Okaasan When You Need to Use the Bathroom was jokingly mentioned every now and then.

Shion made her way over to her desk, unlocking and opening the small drawer containing her most valued trinkets from the past. As with most people's treasure troves, some of the stuff in the drawer would be considered to be junk by people unaware of the memories attached to them.

But what Shion was about to add to her collection was a treasure both in associated memories and value. Her mother had been digging around in the attic and had found one of her old business suits, on which was pinned a small little bell.

This bell was made of crystal and contained a small ruby within that produced the purest sound when shaken. The Fujimura bell had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations, having been said to be a good luck charm to ward away evil and misfortune. Shion's mother had worn it nearly every day, but had misplaced it during their move from their first house in Oni no Kuni to their second (and last before moving to Konoha).

Needless to say, it had been a relief to have finally found such a treasured heirloom. Without delay, Miroku finally passed the bell down to her daughter, a few years past the birthday on which she should have received it. But Shion wasn't complaining; she had always admired the bell whenever she saw it pinned to her mother's jacket, dreaming of the day when she could display it proudly as well and now she too finally could wear it like all the Fujimura women before her.

For now though, she'd keep it safe in her drawer until she was ready to handle the responsibility of looking after it. She gently placed the bell down on top of the book of Miroku Laws, hearing the soft and pure sounding clink as it settled on the book's cover and slowly closed the drawer, smiling contentedly.

Shion quickly slid under her bedcovers and rolled over to face the window, the ocean of stars in the night sky being the last thing she saw before slipping away into the soft embrace of sleep.

The blonde girl found herself wandering down a nameless street at night, admiring the brightly lit neon signs and buildings and watching the people around her going about their business. As she walked on, she came across a sign which instantly caught her interest.

'Tonight Only! The Seven Blonders of the World!' was written in fancy yellow script, with a picture of a group of six blonde haired people surrounding and pointing towards the seventh who stood proudly in the middle. The faces of the group were obscured by question marks, but the hairstyle of the main person seemed weirdly familiar.

_'Is that play on 'The Seven Wonders of the World' or a typo?'_ though Shion. Considering that the people on the sign were blonde, she went with the former. Her curiosity piqued, she walked down the small foot path leading to the entrance and stepped inside.

The ticket booth to her right was unmanned, but a sign on the counter told her to proceed through the main doors. She did so, squinting as a bright spotlight shone down on her, following her as she made her way towards the stage. The seats around her were empty, but something seemed to be drawing her towards the front row. As Shion finally arrived at the edge of the stage, a massive cloud of smoke billowed out from the middle of the raised platform. When it cleared, she found herself staring at the group from the sign outside in the exact same pose as the picture. They even had the question marks obscuring their faces, but then the six supporting members reached up as one and removed them, showing that the question marks were masks.

Shion stared in disbelief. She knew some of the people on the stage. While the people on the edges were generic looking strangers, the three people in the middle had her attention. On the right of the main figure stood Ino, dressed in a glittery golden skin-tight suit which revealed a lot of skin. On the main person's left stood another Shion. The doppelgänger was grinning widely, completely unlike her normal smile, and was dressed in a low cut golden ball gown which extended to the floor.

_'Wow, I have to admit, I look stunning in that dress.'_ thought Shion, before the reality of the situation hit her. _'Hang on, why the hell is there another me there?! I'm going to get to the bottom of this!'_ with that, she turned on her heel and started to head back to the ticket booth, hoping to get some answers.

"Wait, Shion-sama!" a deep voice, one she'd never heard before called out to her, stopping her in her tracks.

_''Shion-sama'? Well, I suppose I could listen to what they have to say.'_ she thought as she slowly turned back to the group on stage, trying to suppress her egotistical nature. "Do I know you?"

The main figure slowly reached up and pulled off his mask, tossing it away with a flourish. As the mask fell to the ground, so did Shion's jaw. "Naruto?!" she yelled out in disbelief. Had he actually spoken?

"We are The Seven Blonders of the World! Enjoy the show!" said Ino, speaking into the microphone that had magically appeared in front of Naruto. Music started to play, and the six people around him began to dance. Her doppelgänger was performing some sort of traditional dance, swaying elegantly from side to side. Ino on the other hand was dancing in a more modern fashion, pulling off immensely flexible poses and shimmying, shaking her unrealistically ample breasts suggestively and seductively.

"..." Shion was at a loss for words. Then Naruto opened his mouth and Shion stared at him absolutely flabbergasted. Was he actually going to speak, let alone sing? Was that deep voice from before really his? She leaned forward eagerly, ready to finally find out what her friend's voice sounded like. The music picked up in tempo and Naruto began to sing.

_"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!"_

She heard the sound of glass breaking as her expectations were crushed and Shion suddenly jerked awake, sitting up rapidly in her bed with her arms around herself as she shivered (not because it was cold). Her mouth was still hanging open, seriously doubting her own sanity to come up with a dream like _that_. She slowly tried to speak, and eventually managed to say the one thing on her mind.

"What the fu(BLEEP)?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers! This chapter may seem a little rushed compared to the previous ones since I've had a rather busy week. My apologies for that. Anyway, what did you think of the Omake? If you're wondering why the first half wasn't included in the main chapter, it's because I originally wanted to write just the dream bit, since it was too silly to put into an actual chapter. However, I got a little carried away when I remembered the bell. I wanted to introduce it in chapter two but it slipped my mind at the time. Then I started writing about the Miroku Laws and it ended up being a very long introduction to a silly dream (Was the dream Rick Roll funny?).**

**Anyway, I'll be keeping the bell story and other side stories like it in the Omakes since it's a good way to give the characters some extra development without having to dedicate a proper chapter scene to it. That way, I can stick to writing the Shion/Naruto story while making the Omakes relevant to the plot.**

**Finally, the following notice will not be relevant to the people reading this story years from now. Still, you can read it and realize how far the story has come since it was published in 2013. For those of you waiting for Chapter Five and reading the story as its being written, there will be a slight delay of about two to three weeks on all my stories as I make the big move to university and get settled in. It'll be really busy for a while so I won't know when I'll be able to sit down and write the next chapter so until then, wish me luck!**

**Kagyuubi**


	5. Finding Your Second New Friend

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Finding Your Second New Friend**

* * *

As Shion walked into classroom 2-B the next morning, she was immediately bombarded by a verbal barrage of apologies and admissions. One of Ami's girls had been waiting for Shion at the door, tears streaming down her face in torrents in the classic over-exaggerated anime style. Shion was quite frankly amazed by the spectacle, and so didn't hear a single word of the short girl's speech.

"... and I'm so, so sorry! The guilt was eating me up inside and I couldn't sleep so I had to tell you, even though I'm not supposed to talk. I almost vomited during the night and then I felt even worse, both physically and mentally you know? Maybe Kami was punishing me for being bad you know? But I'm so, so, so sorry, I promise I won't do it again and please forgive me! I couldn't live on if I knew someone was secretly hating me, giving the evil eye and cursing me to trip when walking down a flight of stairs! The pressure would kill me!" Kazuna fell to her knees and clasped Shion's hand in both of hers like she was hanging onto a Shion-shaped lifesaver. "Please find it in your heart to forgive me! I know it's a selfish request and I have no business asking you to do so for such a horrible, disgusting, scum-of-the-Earth and viciously evil girl like me but please! At least make your punishment a one time, exacts-all-your-vengeance kind of thing!"

Shion was still gazing at the torrential downpour of tears streaming down her cheeks. By this point, they'd actually begun to seep into the front of her shirt, making it slightly transparent. The blonde girl flinched when she heard the all too familiar and extremely loud voice of Inuzuka Kiba and his friends heading towards them and quickly pulled Kazuna to her feet and pushed her towards Naruto's corner of the room. It wouldn't do for those boys to get a look at Kazuna's leopard print bra; they'd never let her live it down.

Shion quickly but gently shoved Kazuna towards Naruto's desk and turned around, checking to see if anyone was giving Kazuna any perverted sneaky glances. Luckily for her, the boys had been too preoccupied with their conversation and headed to their usual seats without delay. Shion breathed a sigh of relief; she'd had her dignity saved by another girl during a rainy day in Oni no Kuni, and was forever grateful to her saviour. She was sure Kazuna would appreciate the quick save, or at the very least it would be an ice breaker since Shion hadn't actually introduced herself to the brunette yet.

As it turned out, she didn't need that ice breaker.

As Shion was about to turn around and ask Kazuna why she was crying, she spotted Naruto slinking in through the back door. She waved to Naruto, smiling her usual angelic smile. Her smile quickly fell away when she registered the shocked, almost horrified look on his face. Why would he be making that face towards her?

_'Wait, did he realize that I dropped off his bag yesterday? Is he now upset and scared that I know where he lives? Did I go too far by invading his little sanctuary?'_ the doubts in her mind were apparently evident on her face since Naruto shook his head as he walked up to her and pointed at his desk, his cheeks tinged with pink.

Shion swung around to see what he was pointing at and felt a blush of her own burning on her cheeks. Kazuna had sprawled herself over Naruto's desk, arms stretched over the windowsill and her body bent over and parallel with the desk. Her legs were straightened with her feet planted firmly on the floor and slightly apart, giving anyone who glanced her way a damn good look up her skirt and at her panties (which were also leopard print).

_'What the hell is this?! Bondage punishment?!' _thought Shion, unintentionally imagining red ropes tying the poor girl's arms together and her ankles to the table legs. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Shion asked Kazuna and secretly herself, subtly pinching herself as hard as she could to forget that perverted mental image.

"I've been a bad girl and I'm sorry. I need to be punished so do what you must!" sobbed Kazuna, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You pushed me down onto the table so I will gladly accept your chosen method of punishment if it means you'll forgive me!"

Shion had no words to respond to that. She had indeed pushed her towards the desk, but that was to protect her decency! Why had this situation spiralled out of control so badly? _'Am I a dominatrix now?!' _She thought incredulously. Shion then became aware of Naruto trying to get her attention without looking in Kazuna's direction, which was rather difficult considering that she was standing right next to the well-meaning but unintentionally pervy girl.

Naruto made 'pull down' and 'hurry up' motions with his hands, and then pointed blindly in Kazuna's direction, telling Shion to cover up Kazuna and get her out of that suggestive position before some saw or worse, took a picture.

"Oh, right!" Shion did as she was instructed and pulled Kazuna's skirt over her delicates before pulling her into Naruto's chair.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to punish me for being a naughty girl?" Kazuna asked with wide and innocent eyes. How could she be unaware of her own innuendos? Shion noticed Naruto clamping a hand over his nose (stopping a possible nosebleed) as Kazuna flashed the room when she leaned forward to talk to Shion.

Now that was enough. Shion forced her to close her legs and gave her a stern glare, quelling Kazuna's endless questions. "Look... Uh, what was your name again?"

"Kazuna." the brunette said quietly, not daring to look Shion in the eyes for too long.

"Okay Kazuna-san. Will you please explain why you think I'm angry with you? I'm not, for the record."

"But didn't you eat the cookies you found in your locker yesterday?"

"Huh? Oh, right. No I didn't, I left them in my desk by accident." Shion reached into her desk for the cookie bag but couldn't find it. She peeked inside and then shot Kazuna a confused look. "I can't find them. Were you the one that sent them? If so, then why would I be mad about you giving me a gift? That was a very nice thing to do!"

"Really? I'm so glad!" asked Kazuna with a radiant and hopeful smile, throwing Shion off guard. Her face and shirt were streaked and soaked with tears, yet now she was grinning like nothing had happened? Then her face fell as rapidly as her smile had appeared, making Shion seriously consider if she had multiple personality disorder. "No wait! It's bad that I gave you that present!"

Shion just shook her head confusedly, suddenly feeling extremely tired. Dealing with Kazuna was _exhausting_. "I mean, those cookies were... Um... What was the word? Oh yeah, poisoned! That's it!" said Kazuna, smiling proudly since she had remembered such a difficult word. Shion's mouth dropped along with Naruto's notepad. It clattered audibly against the ground in the silence that had enveloped the small group.

"P-Poisoned? Were you trying to kill me...?" Shion trailed off into silence, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Huh?" said Kazuna "Is that what it means? Then no! Of course not! Um, what was the word Ami-san- uh Ami-sama used?" she took a few long moments to think, her face donning a pained expression as she tried to remember the specific word her commanding officer in the Sasuke Rules Enforcement group had used.

_''Ami-sama'? What do you know, someone out there has a bigger ego than me. And was she the one who planned the cookie attack?'_ thought Shion during Kazuna's drawn out thinking time. Certainly, a girl so worried about being hated and going so far to be forgiven wouldn't do something like this of her own accord. Plus, no matter how mean it sounded, Shion was sure a girl of Kazuna's... Intelligence... Wouldn't be able to plan something like this.

"Oh yeah! I remember!" yelled Kazuna excitedly, making Naruto leap ten feet into the air. He'd been silently observing Kazuna the entire time she been thinking, evidently fascinated and worried by the agonized expression that was her 'thinking face'. Shion lowered her own voice to a suitable level before asking her question.

"So, what was it?" she asked anxiously.

"The word was 'tainted'!" Kazuna said proudly, patting herself on the head for remembering. Shion on the other hand felt multiple sweat drops rolling down the sides of her head.

_'Remembering the word 'tainted' is far from a job well done!'_ she thought. Out loud, she said "So the cookies were tainted? With what?"

"Uh, I don't know. The word was far too long for me to sound it out. Ami-san- I mean Ami-sama gave me a bottle with some weird liquid in it and told me to add it to the cookies I offered to make for you. She said it would make the cookies an experience you wouldn't forget."

_'So Ami is gunning for me is she? What did I do to her though?'_ Shion honestly couldn't remembering doing or saying anything offensive to her classmate. Maybe she was just trying to be a bully. Either way, she had gotten more questions than answers from the cookie making brunette.

"Could you at least try to sound out what the word was?" she asked, steeling herself for a difficult guessing game. She had to know what her fate would have been had she not been saving the cookies to eat later with Naruto. Actually, Naruto would have shared in Ami's uncalled for vengeance, so she was immensely grateful to her forgetful self for leaving the cookies in her desk. Hopefully whoever found them hadn't eaten them.

That wasn't the case, as Shion would find out later.

"I guess I could try... Uh l-laz...l-lax-a..."

"Lazy? Lax? Lava?" Shion felt a little bad when Kazuna seriously considered her suggestions, shaking her head after a good deal of thought over each one. Those were all short words, so Kazuna shouldn't have had any difficulty with them. Still, Shion felt the need to check, just in case the scatterbrained girl before her was even more scatterbrained than she thought.

Naruto hesitantly held out his notepad to Kazuna, his hand shaking as it drew closer and closer to another person. Shion smiled; she felt proud of him for quite literally reaching out to another classmate. Kazuna squinted at the word on the paper, her lips moving silently as she tried to sound out the word. Finally she nodded to herself and pointed excitedly at Naruto's notepad. "That's it! That's the word I can't say!"

"Could I see that Naruto-san?" asked Shion, holding out her hand for the notepad. Naruto glanced down at her extended hand, seemingly considering the various mean tricks Shion could potentially pull off with just one hand. Kami knows how many similar pranks had been played on him by Kiba in their youth. But when he looked into her light purple eyes, some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders and he placed the notebook slowly into her outstretched hand.

Shion smiled gratefully at the blonde boy and quickly read over the word in the notepad.

**Laxative?**

"..." Shion was horrified. She had been holding cookies that would have, could have... She fought down the disgusted feeling in her stomach and gave Kazuna another stern glare, instantly bring her to attention. "Why did Ami-san try to give me...? Uh..."

She placed Naruto's notebook on her desk as she tried to politely phrase what she wanted to ask. Luckily for her, Naruto took the initiative by grabbing his notebook and scrawling something under the word 'laxative'.

**Explosive diarrhoea?**

Shion found herself vaguely offended and impressed by a guy's ability to speak of (or in this case write of) such topics so bluntly. "Yes. Those are the words to describe _it. _Why would Ami-san want to do _that_ to me?"

"B-Because you broke Sasuke Rule Number One!" she replied nervously. "We enforce the Rules so that was the punishment she thought was fitting."

"When did I break rule number one? Actually, what is rule number one?"

Kazuna gave her a look that was a mixture of relief and horror. "So you didn't know. She didn't know!" she muttered to herself, trying to decide whether to be pleased or upset. "Rule Number One: _Never_ touch Sasuke-kun's amazing hair."

Shion was confused for a moment, before remembering the oily hair incident with Sasuke. "Is that it? Why is that rule number one? I would have thought it would be about something important, like don't try to annoy him by asking for dates." Shion was forgetting one thing: these were rules made by teenage girls in love, or more accurately some form of admiration since love was a bit of a stretch.

"That's a smart rule! Wow, you should add that to the book of rules!" said an impressed Kazuna, momentarily getting off topic. Then she remembered Shion's dilemma and her face fell almost comically into worry and fear. "Didn't someone tell you about the Rules?" Kazuna asked worriedly.

Shion had to take a moment to think back, finally remembering Ino and Sakura telling her about the Sasuke Rules on her first day. "Uh, yeah but I wasn't really listening at the time."

"You have to follow the rules Shion-chan!" said Kazuna tearfully as she grabbed the blonde girl's arms. "Ami-sama will make your life hell if you don't!"

_'Shion-chan? We just met today and we're already this close?!' _she thought, also getting slightly off topic. By this point, Shion was getting tired of hearing about 'Ami-sama' and the power she held over Kazuna. "Kazuna-san, do you actually like Sasuke-san?"

"Huh? Well no, not really. In fact, I think his hair looks like a duck's butt, but when I said that to Ami-sama, she locked me in a cubicle in the boy's toilets for an entire lunchtime. Wait, please don't tell her I said that! Please!" she begged, desperation clearly evident in her voice.

"Alright, alright. My lips are sealed." Shion said reassuringly, though there was no way that she was going to get Kazuna in any more trouble with the Sasuke Rules Enforcers. _'What a cruel and unusual punishment.'_ thought Shion, shuddering as she imagined being locked in the boy's toilets for a terrifying forty minutes.

"Pinky promise?" Kazuna asked seriously yet childishly, looking and sounding like a pre-schooler as she held out her little finger.

"Pinky promise." Shion said kindly, as their little fingers linked together. Kazuna then turned to Naruto, who flinched violently upon catching her eye.

"You too Naruto-kun! Pinky promise you won't tell Ami-sama, so if you do, you'll have to stick a pin in your eye!" in response, Naruto jammed his hands into his pockets, giving Shion a terrified questioning look.

_'Ah, he doesn't know what a pinky promise is. Poor Naruto.'_ thought Shion, thinking of her childhood songs, promises and games that he probably hadn't experienced.

She nodded encouragingly and mouthed _"Just go along with it. You don't actually stick a pin in your eye."_

Naruto nodded uncertainly and very slowly extended his little finger towards Kazuna. She met him more than halfway, sealing the deal as their fingers linked together. "It's a promise! Thanks Naruto-kun! I gotta say, I like people like you!"

On that day, Shion became a witness to a side of the emotionless Naruto she thought she'd never see: embarrassed and bashful. His face went bright red, his eyes were closed and his head was turned away from Shion and Kazuna, the latter of which was still holding his little finger.

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright? Your face is all red." said Kazuna, drawing closer to the blonde boy. Naruto raised his arms in a defensive manner when she reached out to him, and flinched when she gently pressed her palm against his forehead.

His eyes opened to their fullest, and the shocked look within them made Shion feel like hugging him, though she wasn't sure how Naruto would react to that. It seemed that he had not experienced much, if any, human contact since he had suffered from his unknown life changing incident that shaped him into the boy that he was now.

Kazuna hadn't noticed his strange expression (would she ever notice something so subtle?) and continued to feel his forehead, pushing his long spiky strands of blonde hair away from his brow with her free hand.

"Huh, I don't think that you have a fever. Do you feel uncomfortable? Is it too hot in here?" Naruto shook his head in reply to the first question and almost nodded enthusiastically to the second, making Shion stifle a giggle behind her hand. For Naruto, it was getting hot in the room, but not in the way Kazuna meant it. The girl from Oni no Kuni had honestly never seen such a hot and bothered, embarrassed look on anyone's face before. It was ridiculously cute, and proved that Naruto was capable of normal emotions, that the grin she'd seen hadn't been an illusion.

Naruto suddenly jumped away from Kazuna when she began to pet his hair. She looked very surprised at both Naruto's and her own actions and a little hurt too. "I-I'm sorry, your hair was just so surprisingly soft, I just had to touch it. Does it stick up like that naturally or do you use hair gel or something?"

Naruto seemed to get over his initial shock and even noticed that he'd hurt her feelings when he jumped away from her so quickly. He slowly walked back to his desk where Kazuna was still seated and quickly wrote something in his notepad, which Shion had to peer over his shoulder to read.

**My hair spikes up on its own.**

"Really? That's so cool! Okay, then what shampoo and/or conditioner do you use?" Naruto seemed taken aback by Kazuna's sudden interest in him, but answered nonetheless.

**Leaf Scent **(brand name)**. The cherry one. **

"Hey, I've seen that one!" she leaned forward with a teasing smile. "Isn't that a female shampoo?" Naruto's cheeks were tinged with pink, but he nodded affirmatively. "So why do you use it then?" asked a curious Kazuna.

Naruto took his time answering, writing slowly and deliberately. Another strange expression had formed on his face, but Shion recognized it as his tender look. Now she was really curious too; how exactly did shampoo elicit such a response?

**It was my mother's favourite shampoo. I always remember the smell of cherries when I think of her, and when I use her shampoo, it feels like she's still there with me, even if only for a little while.**

Shion hadn't expected that, and neither had Kazuna by the looks of it. Her eyes were a little watery as she asked her next question. "Is your mother... _dead?_" she mouthed the last word, realizing midway through her sentence that it was rather bluntly put but was unable to phrase it better. Shion winced at her tactless handling of the question but leaned forward expectantly when Naruto began to write. His face was once again expressionless, but his eyes looked tired and weary, the eyes of a person who'd gone through a lot of painful experiences.

**Yes. Both my parents died when I was young.**

Kazuna's cheeks were once again streaked with tears as she threw herself at Naruto and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun! I didn't know! I'm extremely sorry!" Naruto had frozen up again, holding his arms out awkwardly to the sides as Kazuna sobbed into his shirt. He had the look of a stunned rabbit in front of an oncoming car's headlights on his face. Shion smiled at him reassuringly and slowly tugged his notepad out of his hand, then gently moved his arms until they were wrapped around Kazuna to hug her back.

After a long moment, Kazuna finally stepped back, wiping the tears from her eyes with her hands. Naruto simply gazed down at himself, evidently still remembering the feel of his first hug in years. He placed a hand over his heart and dazedly stumbled into his seat.

Kazuna leaned over and whispered in his ear and for once, Naruto was too overwhelmed to flinch. "You're so strong Naruto-kun! I hope that we can be friends, and that you can forgive my mistakes because I think I could learn a lot from you!"

Naruto nodded slowly, still gazing off into the distance without seeing anything. Kazuna smiled and patted the top of his head before turning to leave, heading back to her seat where a furious looking Ami and a coldly disapproving Noriko were waiting. Her steps faltered slightly as she saw the reception waiting for her at her seat. Shion took the opportunity to whisper something into Kazuna's ear. "Hey Kazuna-san, let me ask you one thing. If you don't like Sasuke-san, then why are you in the Sasuke Rules Enforcement group?"

Kazuna took a little while to ponder over that question. "Um, because Ami-sama and Noriko-san are my friends?" her answer sounded more like a question, as if she was afraid and unsure of her reply.

"In a real friendship, your bonds with your friends shouldn't be in question. So, are those two your friends or not?" Shion asked, slamming Kazuna with her main question. To her credit, Kazuna opened her mouth almost immediately to say something, and closed it just as quickly. Her mind seemed to be churning as she wandered almost aimlessly back to her seat, only responding to Ami's questions when Noriko smacked the back of the poor brunette's head to snap her out of her daze.

Shion shook her head sadly as she took her seat. During their conversation with Kazuna (whose shirt was now dry and not see-through), the bell had rung. The twenty minutes that made up morning homeroom were almost up and Kakashi was nowhere in sight. Shion leaned over to the almost fully recovered Naruto, who was still looking at his arms and body in surprise.

Shion smiled as spoke to him. "So how was your hug?"

Naruto fumbled for his pen and notepad, shakily writing out his response.

**It was warm and... comforting.**

Shion's smile grew into a mischievous grin as she asked her next question. "And how did her breasts feel all pressed up against your chest like that? I bet you enjoyed it, didn't you?" Shion was mildly surprised with herself for asking such an indecent question. Either she was changing for the worse, or she was becoming far too comfortable around Naruto.

Naruto's cheeks were burning red as he quickly scrawled out a response and showed it to Shion, finally breaking his post hug daze.

**I wasn't thinking of that at all! Honestly! I don't remember feeling anything other than that strange warmth when Kazuna-san hugged me.**

Shion chuckled as Naruto waved his arms desperately, trying to convey his sincerity. "Alright, I won't brand you as a pervert today. But if you step out of line, I'll make sure to warn every girl in the school about Ero-Uzumaki!" Naruto nodded earnestly and placed his hand over his heart like he was swearing an oath, not hearing the sound of Shion's joke as it whooshed over his head.

"You know, I'm glad you befriended Kazuna-san today. I was planning to have Hinata-san be your next friend but you went and made one on your own! I'm really happy for you!" her smile shrank slightly as Naruto's head turned quickly in her direction when Hinata's name was mentioned. He then simply nodded and turned to face the front of the class as Kakashi strolled into the room, hiding his face behind the pages of his orange book to avoid the angry glares of his students.

_'Huh? Is there some problem between Naruto and Hinata?'_ thought Shion. When she thought back on it, she realized that Hinata often gave Naruto strange looks whenever she thought he wasn't looking, yet seemed to open to the idea of being his friend. It was weird then that she was very reluctant to do so.

At the front of the room, Kakashi was faltering under the glares of his students. He hastily closed his book and motioned to Shion, silently asking the Class Rep to announce the start of the day. "Stand. Bow. Be seated." said Shion, leading the class in paying the proper respects to their sensei. This did nothing to ease the loathing looks being sent his way, and Kakashi coughed awkwardly before grabbing hold of the class roll. "Right then, let's take attendance..." his voice trailed off as the bell for the first block of lessons rang, causing a fresh wave of killer intent to roll off the students of Class 2-B and wash over their extremely nervous silver-haired sensei.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers! It seems the wait was not as long as I thought it would be, since I've got plenty of time during Orientation Week here in University to write. I figure that will change when lectures start next week though. For those of you reading in the future, don't worry about the first part of this message.**

**Now, how did you like the chapter? I think I overdid the fan service (if written stuff can be called fan service) but it's better that I use up all the ideas I have now, so that when the story amps up in terms of drama, there won't be any awkward fan service during those scenes. Also, this chapter mainly introduced Kazuna as a proper character rather than a villain's henchman, while throwing in a few more mysteries. What do you think? Does it make the story more interesting to have more mysteries entwined around the main one (Naruto's incident and his resultant silence)? Hopefully it adds more to the Shion/Naruto story rather than being filler or padding!**

**Kagyuubi**


	6. Finding Your Inner Strength

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Finding Your Inner Strength**

* * *

As the bell for first break rang, the exhausted students of Class 2-B sat back in their chairs and moaned with pain, shaking their aching hands and silently cursing Kakashi. Since the attendance taking debacle during homeroom, Kakashi had enjoyed getting revenge on his students for giving him a hard time over being late by making them write out one of the longest sets of notes in the world for the entire double lesson.

Kakashi was successfully hiding a massive smirk behind his mask as he addressed his students. "While you are enjoying your break, I'll quickly take attendance. Is that okay?" Kakashi smiled his weird little eye smile and was nearly blown backwards by the wave of killer intent emanating from Class 2-B.

As their sensei called out the names on the roll, Shion leaned over towards Naruto, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. He flinched as usual, but when he turned to face Shion, his eyes were distant, like his mind was elsewhere.

"Hyuuga Hinata?" Kakashi called out. Surprisingly, there was no timid "Present!" squeaking out from the seat in front of Naruto's. However, hearing the stuttering girl's name instantly snapped Naruto out of his daze, replacing his distant expression with a guarded one. "Absent. How unusual. Does anyone know where Hyuuga-san is?" asked Kakashi. The students shook their heads in almost perfect sync, so Kakashi simply shrugged and moved on.

_'Why does Naruto react so strangely to Hinata's name? Why is it that Hinata gives him odd looks when he isn't looking?'_ though Shion. She decided not to ask about it for now, and took a few seconds to think of something to say to the patiently waiting Naruto. In a rare moment of talkativeness (or whatever it could be called), Naruto started writing on his notepad before she had a chance to say anything, showing the page to Shion when he was done.

**Thank you very much for bringing my backpack to my house yesterday. I really appreciate it Shion-san.**

Now Shion was on guard, giving him a weak looking clueless grin. "Huh? What do you mean? I didn't go to your house yesterday! I don't even know where you live!" that last part was partially true, since she'd already forgotten the way to the Uzumaki's home.

Naruto simply reached down to his bag and pulled off a long light blonde strand of hair from one of the straps. He dangled it in front of her eyes with what could have been a triumphant look, if Naruto had been capable of expressing such emotions.

Shion held back a mischievous grin as she thought of way to tease him. Her clueless look quickly changed into a horrified and slightly fearful expression, making Naruto in turn look slightly taken aback. "Y-You've been collecting my hair? A-Are you a super pervert? So creepy!" she shivered for added effect, forcing Naruto to lunge for his notepad to explain himself.

**No Shion-san! Strands of your hair were on my backpack when I found it in the morning. I wouldn't collect your hair like that! Honest!**

Shion was hiding her face behind her hands under the pretext of being scared, while really trying to conceal her laughter. He was so innocent and gullible, she felt slightly bad for teasing him. Only slightly, since his flustered face was so cute! "How do I know you aren't lying? I should warn all the girls, even Kazuna-san, that Ero-Uzumaki has been awakened!"

Naruto nearly leapt out of his chair with panic. He quickly scrawled another note, and it was almost illegible when he presented it to Shion.

**I swear to you! I'm not lying! How can I convince you that I'm not a pervert?**

Shion couldn't her laughter back now. His expression was so serious that she had no doubts about his honesty, even if this whole situation was a joke. "I'm kidding Naruto-san. I know you're not like that. But you're so cute when you're flustered!" Naruto's cheeks went pink and he turned away, crossing his arms over his chest; his emotionless version of pouting. This only served to make Shion laugh even harder, and a few seconds passed before she noticed the new message he had written.

**So you won't tell Kazuna-san to watch out for Ero-Uzumaki?**

Shion shook her head, still grinning and unable to speak from laughing too hard. Naruto tore off the top page of his notepad and wrote a new message, breathing a silent sigh of relief. He most certainly didn't want to lose a friend he had just made.

**So you do believe me when I wrote that I wouldn't ever collect your hair?**

Shion saw another opportunity and took it, schooling her face into a hurt expression. "You don't like my hair Naruto-san?" she asked sadly, turning on the puppy dog eyes for extra effect. Predictably, Naruto was quick to write something so her feelings weren't hurt, but what he wrote was much more surprising.

**I do like your hair! I think your hair looks beautiful when the sun shines on it, like silky threads of gold floating in the breeze.**

Shion felt herself blushing as she read his note. She glanced up at the red cheeked Naruto, and was surprised to find that he hadn't looked away as usual, and instead was holding her gaze. "T-Thank you Naruto-san. For a guy who doesn't say anything, you have quite the way with words." Shion felt a little self-conscious and extremely embarrassed. Who knew he was capable of writing such sweet words?

Naruto had reached his limit, quickly nodding before turning away to stare out the window, sliding his headphones firmly over his ears. His cheeks were still burning as he started to put away his notepad. Shion gently touched his arm, making him flinch before he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, still too embarrassed to look directly at his friend.

"C-Could I keep that one too?" she asked, pointing to his notepad. He nodded slowly and carefully tore off the page, depositing the paper carefully into her outstretched hand. As Naruto turned away, Shion found herself watching him, studying his face (the small part of it that she could see) and his (apparently) very soft spiky blonde hair. How often had he been looking at her like this to notice something like how her hair shone in sunlight?

At least Shion could rest easy with the knowledge that Naruto was too innocent to have any ulterior motives. His little compliment showed how honest he could be, regardless of how embarrassing his thoughts at the time were. It made her feel immensely happy that she'd chosen to befriend the lonely boy in the seat next to hers, to have made a friend who she felt comfortable with, even though she'd never even heard his voice.

There weren't many guys out there she could trust implicitly to be pure and honest like Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

~Second Break~

* * *

Kakashi wiped away the last of his notes from the board as the bell rang, and Shion was surprised to find Ino standing in front of her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Naruto slinking out of the room with his usual two onigiri and bottle of green tea in hand. "What's up Ino-san?" she asked, absently fiddling with the bow tied at the end of her hair.

"Do you know what happened to Sakura yesterday?"

"Huh? No, I don't. What happened?"

Ino flipped her long side fringe out of her eyes, making Shion wonder why she even cut her hair like that if it was a nuisance. "Well, when it was time to leave yesterday after homeroom, Sakura told me to go on without her, that she would catch up later and she never did. Then today she's absent, and Kakashi-sensei told me that she had phoned the school in the morning and told them that she was sick with a stomach bug."

Shion wasn't the least bit curious in Sakura's stomach issues. "And what exactly is the problem?" she asked, struggling to hide her disinterest. Sure, Ino was a fun person, but she didn't really want to hear about that sort of thing considering the close call she'd had yesterday with those tainted cookies...

Shion's eyes widened as realization struck her. _'Oh no...'_

"Well, I think she's avoiding me. Lately she's been kind of secretive and she even ran away from me once in the hallways when I asked her to come get changed with me for P.E." Ino bit her lip with worry, and Shion's eyes unconsciously drifted down to her friend's chest as she tried to figure out Sakura's behaviour. _'Huh. My dream was way off. Ino is definitely far from being flat chested, but the Dream Ino's chest was larger than life for sure.'_ Shion blinked with surprise when she actually thought over her random thought tangent. What was happening to her? She definitely wasn't getting this from Naruto, and she didn't spend enough time with Kiba to pick up some of his 'male specific' habits.

Oddly enough, her remembrance of that weird dream and the busty Dream Ino (Finding Your Omake: Bells Ring and Dreams Sing) helped her puzzle out Sakura's stranger than usual behaviour. "I got it." said Shion, as several things over the past week fell into place. "Concerning her strange behaviour as of late: she bought bra pads. I saw one of her breasts sag the other day, and I didn't stop to wonder why she even had breasts in the first place and why one had dropped down to her stomach. The reason she ran away from you before P.E was because she didn't want you to see them while you two were changing. I figure she thought she could attract Sasuke by looking more like a guy's ideal girl. As for the stomach bug thing, she's definitely not avoiding you. She actually has a stomach issue."

Shion went on to explain the laxative spiked cookies from Kazuna, and how Sakura had probably told Ino to go on ahead without her after homeroom so she could eat them by herself when she saw them in Shion's desk.

As Shion finished her explanation, Ino stood before her with her eyes closed and hands balled into shaking fists by her sides. "Ino-san?" asked a worried Shion. What was she upset about? The cookies? Being kept in the dark about her best friend's bra stuffing?

"That... bitch..." muttered Ino under her breath.

"Who?" asked Shion, leaning back in her seat when she sensed that Ino was about to blow. Was she angry with Ami for what she had tried to do to Shion? The girl from Oni no Kuni felt a sudden sense of closeness with Ino for getting angry in her place. Maybe they were on the road to becoming close friends!

"That flat chested bitch! How dare she think she could win over Sasuke-kun with fake breasts?!" Ino yelled, drawing the attention of every student still in the classroom. Shion heard the sound of glass breaking as her daydreams about going shopping and swapping secrets with a close girl friend were brutally smashed by Ino's unbelievable priorities.

"W-What?" asked a stunned Shion, completely unable to fathom why Ino was more concerned about losing the unattainable Sasuke to a stuffed bra (like that would happen!) rather than her best friend's illness or Ami's attempted attack.

Ino took up a stance like she was about to make a powerful and motivational speech. "We girls have worked hard to develop the breasts we have today. It's been a long, hard road for many of us, but we pushed forward to make ourselves into real young women! The sort of women no young man could refuse, let alone Sasuke-kun! So to have someone like Billboard Brow come along and undermine all our efforts with _bra pads_ is like a slap in the face for all of womankind! We are proud! We are strong! We are _all natural_!" Ino raised her fist into the air, gazing off into the heavens dramatically.

"All natural!" chorused both the male and female members of the class (obviously for very different reasons!).

Shion simply stared at her classmates in disbelief, shot Ino a what-the-hell look and slowly exited the room, still hearing the cheering for the Yamanaka girl's speech long after she'd left the doorway of Class 2-B behind.

Out in the corridors, a few more little speeches were about to take place, but they were a far cry from Ino's, both in content and delivery.

As Shion decided to go join Naruto in his secret spot on the roof, she turned a corner and found herself watching Ami ordering Noriko to pin poor Kazuna against the wall. The various people milling about the corridor either acted like nothing was wrong, or watched the proceedings from the corner of their eyes as the brunette was slammed against the wall. She whimpered pitifully, staring up at the cold and expressionless Noriko. Sunlight reflected off her glasses, so Kazuna couldn't see her eyes, which made Noriko look all the more terrifying.

Ami stepped forward and cleared her throat. Kazuna turned her teary eyed gaze on her commanding officer as she drew nearer. "Don't give me that look!" she said sharply, causing Kazuna to flinch. The brunette sniffed loudly and averted her eyes. Ami scowled and huffed impatiently. "I didn't tell you to look away. Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you!"

By this point, Shion was ready to step in. She didn't care what kind of reputation Ami had that made all the students stay out of her way when she was bullying people; what she was doing to Kazuna was just wrong. However, someone that no one had expected to come to Kazuna's rescue beat her to the punch (figuratively).

Shion halted when she spotted a familiar blonde topped head peering out from behind the corner at the other end of the corridor. After checking that there weren't too many people around, Naruto quickly turned the corner and started heading towards Shion's side of the hallway, keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets. He had his headphones on, but to Shion's surprise, he looked up when he was passing by Ami and his eyes fell on the trapped Kazuna. To those that didn't know him, they would think he was just watching impassively, but Shion was familiar enough with his slight facial expressions to know that he was worried for the friend he had made earlier that morning.

"How dare you reveal our plan to that Fujimura Shion?! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I am the person in charge of our little group, and I don't remember giving you permission to divulge information... no, I don't remember even giving you permission to speak!"

"Ami-san... Uh Ami-sama...?" Kazuna looked like she was worried her next question would be her last. Ami's eyes narrowed as Kazuna dared to speak without being told to.

"What?!" Ami growled irritably.

"What does 'divulge' mean?"

Ami growled threateningly, and then nodded at Noriko, who promptly slapped the back of Kazuna's head as hard as she could. "Now listen here Vegetable," Ami muttered into the brunette's ear. "If you want to stay on the Sasuke Rules Enforcement group, in fact, if you want to be friends with us, then you cannot speak to that rule breaker ever again. Have I made myself clear?"

"B-But why can't I talk to Shion-chan? She and Naruto-kun are very nice-"

"What?! You spoke to Uzumaki as well? You know he's a weirdo, why the hell would you waste your breath on someone who doesn't even talk?!" As Ami sang his praises (not!), Shion watched as Naruto began to hunch over, as if each word weighed heavily on his back. He ended up looking smaller and smaller, withdrawing into himself for shelter. Now Shion was mad. How could Ami insult an emotionally unstable person standing right next to them? There was no way she couldn't have seen him; his blonde hair stood out like a beacon amongst the sea of brown and black (and occasionally pink and red).

Shion began to march towards Ami, ready to tell her off for being a horrible person when Kazuna piped up. "Naruto-kun is not a weirdo! He's my friend!" Shion stopped in her tracks and watched for Naruto's reaction. An opportunity had presented itself to demonstrate how far Naruto had come. A friend of his was sticking up for him, now would he do the same?

Naruto was stunned. So much in fact that he'd stopped hunching over, and was gazing at Kazuna confusedly. Apart from Shion, no one else had ever stuck up for him, and he'd just met this girl today!

His eyes darted left to right, as if he were weighing up the options. He flinched when Ami started berating Kazuna loudly about her taste in friends and looked ready to run. There was an open window near Shion and his eyes landed on it, clearly looking at it as a way out of this mess. He reached into his pocket and began to head towards the window.

_'Don't do it Naruto! Your friend needs you!'_ thought Shion, hoping against hope that he would hear her thoughts. She had no right to stop him, and ordinarily he wouldn't be expected to help Kazuna. But as she had told him during that time when she thought he was going to jump off the roof, friends look out for their friends. Now that he had a bond with Kazuna, he had to help her since that's what a true friend would do.

Naruto slowly pulled out his notepad and stopped when he was two metres away from the window. On his right side, Kazuna was shivering with fear as Noriko raised her hand to slap the back of her head again, and on his left was the window, his usual method of escape when things became too much for him. He clutched at his notepad worriedly, clearly torn between two halves of himself - the half who wanted to save his friend and the half that wanted to save himself.

His pleading eyes locked with Shion's, begging for an answer. Shion opened her mouth to speak, and then changed her mind. This was his decision, and she wouldn't be the one to influence him and risk ruining all of his progress. If he was ready to take the next step and fight for his friend (again figuratively - no hitting girls!) then he would do what was right.

So instead of telling him what to do, she gave him a reassuring smile and a Lee-style thumbs up (without the blinding grin). Some of the panic and confusion left his eyes, but his hands were still shaking as he turned away from the window and headed towards Ami, nervously writing in his notepad as he walked.

As Ami was about to order Noriko to slap Kazuna again, she found herself staring at a slightly quivering notepad thrust right in front of her eyes. She scowled as she read the message aloud.

**Leave Kazuna-san alone!**

Shion couldn't help grinning with pride as Naruto stood before the school's top bully and her bespectacled bitch and tried to convey the words from his heart to them. "Huh? If you have something to say, then say it! Come on, you think you're so tough and confident, let's hear you say those words _out loud_!" Ami smirked evilly as she spoke, confident in her victory. Everyone in the corridor was watching Naruto now. None of them had ever heard his voice, and they were definitely interested in seeing if he would rise to the challenge.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly (his nervous look) as he shook his head and began writing on a fresh page.

**If Kazuna-san is your friend, why do you treat her so badly?**

Ami scowled as she read his next message aloud. "Hey, who the hell do you think you are to tell me how to treat my friends? You don't even have one!"

Naruto shook his head forcefully and scrawled another message in his notepad.

**Shion-san is my friend, and Kazuna-san is too!**

Shion was mentally applauding her blonde classmate. He saw Kazuna and herself as friends! Ami on the other hand was not as pleased with his response. "Oh really? What if they're just trying to prank you huh? Maybe I organized the whole thing from the start, just so I could crush your spirit when I revealed them as fake friends. Where's your proof?"

Shion was worried that Naruto would falter at this point. He still wasn't completely open with her, and he hadn't known Kazuna long enough to judge her character. She pulled out the note he had written her about her hair and remembered his compliment about her smile that he had written to her on her second day. If he was able to say such nice things to her, then surely he didn't completely mistrust her...

As Shion fretted over Naruto's next response, he glanced back at the blonde girl clutching his note, the one who had become his first friend. Their eyes met, and Shion saw that rare tender look in his eyes, which changed to a look of quiet resolve as he turned back to face Ami and wrote his response.

**I know that Shion-san is my friend. There's no way you or she could fake that. Kazuna-san is too nice to agree to a plan like that, and would have told me out of guilt if you had forced her to do it.**

"Tch." said Ami, unable to refute his point. Besides, Shion didn't seem like the type who would get along with Ami, so there was no point in suggesting that Shion would work together with her to bully someone. "So what exactly do you want me to do? Give up the Sasuke Rules Enforcement group and become a spineless, sheep-brained goody-two shoes like the rest of you? If we didn't enforce the rules, there would be chaos! To enforce the rules, sometimes we have to get tough."

Naruto shook his head slowly and began to write.

**No. There wouldn't be any chaos. You just enjoy the feeling of power you get from bullying other girls into following stupid 'rules' and would do anything to keep it that way. You two are not Kazuna-san's friends. There is no tough love between friends **(unless you're tsundere!)**.**

Naruto quickly tore out the page when Ami finished reading it and kept on writing on a fresh page.

**Real friends wouldn't be hitting each other, insulting each other and trying to boss each other around. Real friends have to respect, care and look out for each other, especially around people like you guys! You two aren't worthy of being Kazuna-san's friends, looking at the way you speak and act towards her! **

Naruto tore out the page he was writing on and scrawled out his ultimatum on a fresh one.

**So stop mistreating her and leave her alone!**

Ami was fuming as Naruto placed his notepad back in his pocket and shrank away from her meekly. This guy who was too cowardly to speak was giving her a lecture! As Naruto wobbled away, having used all his strength to stand up to Ami, Shion quickly ducked around Ami and grabbed Kazuna's arm, pulling her away from her tormentors. The teary eyed girl was strangely silent as she was led away from scene and towards Naruto, who had taken refuge around the next corner and was still jittery with nerves. He knew what Ami was capable of, so why had he gone against her for someone he barely knew?

As Shion dragged Kazuna around the corner and out of Ami's and Noriko's view, the brunette jumped onto Naruto and hugged him tightly. The blonde boy froze as usual, completely unable to respond. That's not to say he didn't enjoy the warm hug though.

"Thank you Naruto-kun! No one's ever stood up for me before, and against Ami-sama too!" she said as she let him go. Kazuna gave him a bright smile, causing Naruto's cheeks to turn faintly pink as he scratched the back of his head. "When I met you this morning, and you told me about your parents and your mother's shampoo, I thought you were really strong and that I could learn a lot from you. And for once, I was right!" she said, sounding surprised with her own admission (probably a once in a lifetime occurrence!). "You were right about everything Naruto-kun, and you too Shion-chan. Ami-sama and Noriko-san are not my friends. In fact, I want to stand up to them too!"

As Kazuna was about to dash around the corner, Shion grabbed her arm to stop her. "You know you don't have to call Ami 'Ami-sama' right? You can address her normally, or even leave off the honorific!" (how rude!).

Kazuna gave Shion her version of a stern glare, which in all honesty looked more cute than disapproving (like a pouting kid). "Uh-uh, Shion-chan! That's rude! But I get what you're saying." with that, she disappeared around the corner, leaving a stunned Shion to think over her words. _'It was rude to suggest she leave the '-san' honorific off of Ami's name. What's happening to me?! First I start making inappropriate jokes, now I'm telling people to leave off honorifics! What's next?!'_ Naruto was blissfully unaware of Shion's inner turmoil, having put on his headphones and sunk into the personal peacefulness of music.

Around the corner, Kazuna was marching up the corridor towards her ex-friends, who were slowly departing the scene, scowling at the people shooting them furtive dirty looks. "Hey Ami-san! Noriko-san!" she called loudly. The two turned to face 'the Stupid Vegetable' as they had referred to her when she was and wasn't around. "You guys are the worst! I hope no one else ends up as your slave like I was! In fact, I'll make sure you can't be mean to anyone else who you try to force into the... uh... Sasuke... Ruling... Enfortment?" (that's not even a word Kazuna-chan!).

"The Sasuke Rules Enforcement group!" the two girls shouted back exasperatedly. She had never been able to get the name right, even after being in it for three years!

"Yeah! That thing! I'll stop people from being forced into it and getting bullied by you two! You guys were never my friends, but I've got real ones now!" she paused and looked back worriedly at Shion and Naruto, who were watching her from behind the corner. "I know Naruto-kun is my friend, but are you my friend too Shion-chan?" Shion smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to keep going, while Naruto shyly gave her a thumbs up before disappearing back around the corner and out of sight. Kazuna grinned and addressed Ami and Noriko. "I've got Naruto-kun and Shion-chan as my friends now! I'm really upset with you guys, but when you say sorry to me, I'll forgive you!" the students in the corridor could see the steaming rising off Ami after being lectured by 'the Stupid Vegetable'. Still, they clapped and cheered as Kazuna headed back towards her new friends, waiting for her to join them before heading back to class.

As the three friends headed back to class, Kazuna stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the doorway to Class 2-B. "What's wrong Kazuna-san?" asked Shion when she and Naruto noticed that Kazuna was no longer with them (not that she's dead or anything!).

She had an expression on her face that looked as if she had drank long expired milk, and was just feeling the effects. Sweat drops began to bead on her brow as she quivered with fear. "I-I still have to sit next to Ami-san and Noriko-san in class!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And so, we come to the end of the miniature 'Kazuna Arc'. I'm not sure if two chapters qualify as an arc, but hey, these last two chapters have developed Kazuna from a secondary character to a main character!**

**I have received positive feedback concerning Kazuna, so it looks like she comes off as endearing rather than annoying! Reviewers have said that she makes the story livelier, and I'm really glad for that. So where to from here? We have the main mystery of Naruto's silence, his mystery connection with Hinata plus he still has to be acknowledged by his classmates as a person and not the 'Ghost of Class 2-B'! Plenty of things to come, with all the random humour bits you can expect from this story!**

**Kagyuubi**


	7. Finding Your New Sensei

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Finding Your New Sensei**

* * *

A couple of days had passed since Naruto and Kazuna's confrontation with Ami. Kazuna had started to spend her breaks on Shion's side of the classroom, sitting backwards in Hinata's empty chair to converse with her new friends. While she was happy to have found such great friends, spending her lessons in awkward, dangerous silence with Ami and Noriko was taking its toll on her.

"Naruto-kun! Shion-chan! I can't take it anymore! I can't even focus on what Kakashi-sensei says during lessons since their men-a-cing (she's sounding it out slowly) uh..." Kazuna paused mid-sentence to try and think of a suitable word.

"Aura?" Shion suggested helpfully.

"Yeah! That's the word! Anyways, it's messing up my concentration! When they look at me with their hateful eyes, I get the feeling I'm one word away from a head slap!" Since the little incident in the hallway, Ami and Noriko had stopped talking to Kazuna. Instead they gave her the evil eye or just glared at her when she was around, since they knew Kazuna's worst fear was being hated or ill-wished, and would mentally exhaust herself worrying without them having to say a single word.

So far it was working, despite what Shion said and Naruto wrote.

When Kazuna had walked over and sat down in Hinata's seat that morning (the third day of her absence from school), the first thing Shion had seen were the dark circles under the brunette's eyes, which prompted the blonde girl to whip out her mini makeup kit to conceal them.

A very worried Naruto (not that you could see it clearly on his expressionless face) quickly asked her (via pen and paper) if she was feeling alright, which had prompted Kazuna to explain her situation.

Naruto wrote in his notepad and held it out to Kazuna, extending his hand only as much as necessary, like he expected Kazuna to bite his hand off.

**So what are you going to do about it?**

"What can I do Naruto-kun? I said I'd forgive them if they apologized, but I don't think that they will! Maybe it was a mistake to confront them... maybe I should go ask to be forgiven..." as Kazuna was about to stand up, Naruto held one hand up in a stopping gesture while quickly scrawling in his notepad with the other.

**No! You had every right to confront them! You did the right thing, and people respect you for it. I respect you for it. Don't throw that away so easily, what you did was quite the accomplishment!**

Kazuna was positively beaming after reading Naruto's note. Shion was amazed at how quickly her emotions could change, and how Naruto could be so convincing and encouraging without saying a word.

"Thanks Naruto-kun! You always know what to say!" said Kazuna as she settled back down into her seat.

"He does, doesn't he?" added Shion, making Naruto turn away embarrassedly. "Hey Kazuna-san, why don't you ask Naruto-san if you can keep that note? Reading it when you start doubting yourself would be a good way to remind yourself of what you can accomplish if you believe in your own strength."

Kazuna nodded cheerfully and turned to Naruto. "Hey Naruto-kun, do you mind if I kept what you wrote about me? Shion-chan is right; it would help me when I'm feeling down!" she proceeded to give him a puppy dog look that nearly rivalled Shion's. She even tiled her head to the side for added effect, looking like the most innocent angel Naruto had ever laid eyes on (probably).

Naruto's cheeks were pink as he nodded and gently tore off the top page of his notepad. His hand was shaking as it drew closer to Kazuna's side of the desk. The blonde boy froze when both of Kazuna's hands closed upon his, gently caressing it. He looked up slowly from their joined hands to her eyes, his own eyes widening by a tiny degree with surprise at the sudden contact. Kazuna seemed to be staring into his eyes and straight into his soul, seeing all the secrets he chose to keep hidden.

Meanwhile, Shion was trying not to smile with joy as her two friends shared this tender moment. The look on Naruto's face was of shock and disbelief (with a hint of hope), and she'd seen it enough to know that he still wasn't used to people acknowledging him or wanting to be around him. At least she was seeing it less and less, meaning that Naruto was slowly getting used to it.

Naruto's cheeks were progressing to red as Kazuna continued to hold his hand and stare into his eyes. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly like she was focusing on something only she could read on his face.

"Naruto-kun," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper in the general hubbub of the classroom. He barely nodded to show that he was listening, almost like he afraid of ruining this moment by moving too much. Shion unconsciously leaned closer, eager to hear what she had to say.

_'This is almost like a romantic scene from a shōjo manga! Could it be...?' _Shion thought hopefully.

Suddenly Kazuna's serious expression broke, turning into her usual mile wide grin. "You've got some ink on your nose!" she said loudly, shattering their tender moment into a million irreparable fragments. She released his hand and carefully pocketed the note before reaching out with one hand and rubbing at the ink smear on his skin, not noticing Naruto's flinch at such sudden and overly familiar contact.

Shion on the other hand had placed her head on her desk as an air of disappointment surrounded her. "Of course," she mumbled to herself resignedly as Kazuna continued cheerfully (and obliviously) to rub at the mark on Naruto's nose. "This is Kazuna-san we're talking about..."

* * *

~First Break~

* * *

Kakashi had been getting progressively later and later over the course of the week. Today however took the cake (the whole damn cake in fact!). He simply didn't turn up at all! After not appearing for morning homeroom, the students were left to their own devices when the bell for the first block of lessons rang. Naturally this led to pandemonium, during which Tenten snuck out and reported the situation to the senseis in the staff room. A substitute was quickly dispatched to Class 2-B, ending the fun and making Tenten the subject of several glares for being a goody two shoes tattle tale. Of course, when the top athlete/ultimate tomboy of the school glared back threateningly at the angry students, they were effectively subdued.

Even 'Red Dog' Kiba had his tail between his legs; a testament to the toughness of Tenten.

The day wore on as usual. At the end of afternoon homeroom, the substitute sensei announced that Kakashi had been sent to a month long sensei training camp the day before and had forgotten to elect a replacement sensei (typical!). The news that a new sensei would be assigned to the class on Monday (since today was Friday) wasn't met with much enthusiasm from the guys. The girls however were happy to finally get a sensei who wouldn't be chronically late and forget their teaching duties.

As Shion began to pack away her gear, she was suddenly pulled backwards by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her stomach. One look at the multitude of plasters on the mystery hands revealed their owner. "Hey Shion-chan!" said Kazuna as she hugged her friend closer to her body. "Shall we walk home together?"

"Sure," Shion replied, slipping out of Kazuna's grasp and slinging her book bag over her shoulder. "Naruto-san, will you walk home with us?" she asked the blonde who was still packing away his books. He turned to her and slowly shook his head. He looked almost regretful as he pulled out his notepad to explain.

**I have to work.**

"Oh really? That's too bad." said Kazuna. She walked up to Naruto and held his one of his hands in both of hers like she had done that morning. "Next time for sure okay? It's a promise!" Naruto nodded stiffly and looked vaguely relieved as Kazuna let go of his hand and ran to the door, motioning for Shion to hurry up and follow her.

As Shion was about to turn away, she noticed Naruto slowly opening and closing his fingers and smiled. He obviously hadn't disliked Kazuna holding his hand like that. "Hey Naruto-san, are you ever going to tell me where you work?" asked Shion.

Naruto seemed to take a few moments to deliberate, finally writing out his answer after a good deal of consideration.

**Yes.**

_'... Well that was anti-climactic!'_ thought Shion. Out loud she said "Will you tell me now?"

Naruto shook his head and wrote out another response.

**I'll take you and Kazuna-san there after school on Monday.**

"Wow! Really? That's great!" said Shion happily. He was finally opening up to her! "Alright then, after school on Monday. It's a date!"

Shion nodded to herself decisively, not noticing Naruto's bright red face. As soon as she saw his blush though, she realized what she'd said and her own face reddened until it matched his. "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no! I meant it as a figure of speech!" she said desperately, shaking her hands in front of her like she could dissipate her unfortunate choice of words physically. Naruto was still blushing but nodded quickly as if to say that he understood what she had meant. The thought of him on a date with two beautiful girls _at once..._

"I... I'll see you next week then!" Shion said, trying to smile normally without seeming awkward or embarrassed. Naruto nodded and turned back to his tattered bag, obviously focusing on trying to fight down his blush. Shion hurried away to the doorway where Kazuna was waiting impatiently, hoping that her cheeks had regained her normal colour.

She really didn't want to have to explain all that to Kazuna.

* * *

~Homeroom~

* * *

As Shion and Kazuna entered the classroom on Monday morning chatting idly about their weekend hijinks, Shion was happy to see that Hinata had returned from her extended absence from school. Sakura was also back in her seat (after her tainted cookie related stomach issues) and was currently being chewed out by Ino and her big bosom buddies about wearing bra pads. Shion had to stifle a chuckle when Ino stuck out her hand towards Sakura and the pinkette sheepishly pulled out her pads and placed them in her best friend's hand. The girls around them cheered as Ino promised to burn the insulting things at the all-girls-welcome-no-boys-allowed slumber party on Tuesday night at her place.

Kazuna accompanied Shion over to her seat and started to move towards Hinata's seat; greeting Naruto cheerfully as she sat down in the Hyuuga girl's lap (Kazuna was under the impression that it was a free seat). Shion turned away so no one would see her laughing at Hinata's shocked and embarrassed expression while Naruto seemed to find something extremely interesting to look at outside the window.

For a few long moments, Kazuna acted as if nothing was wrong, seemingly unable to feel Hinata underneath her bottom. Eventually, Hinata mustered up the courage to speak. "A-Ano, c-could you p-please get off m-me?"

"Holy shitake! The chair is haunted!" screamed Kazuna as she leapt off of Hinata's lap and hid behind Naruto's chair. "I'm sorry Chair-san, it won't happen again! Please don't hurt me!" Sweat drops rolled down Shion's, Naruto's and Hinata's cheeks as Kazuna slowly came to realize her mistake (it took a while). "Oh! Sorry Hyuuga-san! I thought that was an empty seat! Ha-ha I didn't see you there!"

"Most people don't." Hinata mumbled quietly.

"Did you say something?" Kazuna asked rather loudly, cupping a hand behind her ear. Hinata's ever present blush intensified and she turned away shyly.

"N-No. I d-didn't say a-anything." she stuttered, pressing her index fingers together in her usual stress abating way. Shion had noticed that little habit of Hinata's whenever the dark haired girl was flustered (which was pretty much all the time).

At the movement though, only one thing was on Shion's mind. _'Gah! That flipping stutter! How can anyone stutter so much in just one sentence?'_ she thought, choosing to forget the nightmare that had been her Oni no Kuni sensei's stuttering of every word he spoke. Her brow creased with a slight frown as she thought over what Hinata had said. _'What did she mean by saying 'Most people don't.'? And why does she keep giving Naruto those odd looks? Are these two things related?'_ Shion pondered as she watched Hinata peek at Naruto from the corner of her eye with a very strange expression on her face. Pity? Sadness? Longing? The blonde girl couldn't tell.

The bell chose that moment to ring, and Kazuna's face fell comically. She stood up slowly, reluctant to leave the safe spot behind Naruto's chair. "Well, here I go." she said mournfully, like she was heading for the gallows (close enough!).

"Good luck Kazuna-san! We believe in you!" Shion said encouragingly as the brunette walked by. She turned back when she was halfway to her seat, where Ami and Noriko were waiting. Naruto held up his notepad as Kazuna glanced back like she was taking a last look at the friends she'd only just made a few days ago.

**Be strong. You can do it!**

Kazuna smiled faintly and nodded, crossing the remaining distance to her chair with slightly steadier steps. "Poor Kazuna-san." said Shion, as Naruto nodded in response. The general chatter in the classroom faded into silence as the substitute sensei from the previous week walked into the room.

"Good morning students of 2-B. I'm sorry for the delay, but we've found you a temporary replacement for Kakashi-sensei. Please welcome the new sensei of Class 2-B, M-"

"I can introduce myself!' a serious and stern sounding female voice barked from outside the classroom.

"I'm very sorry! I'll be going now." mumbled the usually calm and collected substitute, looking fearful and panicky as he quickly left the room. Just what were the students of Class 2-B getting into?

The door of the classroom banged open loudly, making everyone jump as a tall woman strode in. She stalked over to the sensei's desk and silently surveyed the classroom. The class stared back, equal parts worried and intrigued.

Their new sensei was a strange looking woman. Not that she wasn't attractive; in fact, she put quite a few of Konoha's top models to shame. Her figure was as one would expect: curvy in all the right places yet slender. No, it was the distinct look she had, ranging from her facial features to the way she dressed. She was clearly not from Konoha, which instantly classed her as an exotic beauty in the boy's books.

Her hair was dark green, and was tied in a bun on top of her head with a small hair needle running through it. Two long locks of hair framed her face (one reaching just beyond her chin while the other extended down to her chest), both of which were dyed orange. Her eyes were brown and her skin was perfect. Her attire consisted of a black sleeveless, backless top and tight purple shorts that ended just before the knees, with two lapels hanging down to her knees on the front and the back. She had bandages tied around her waist, as well as purple arm-warmers which extended up to her shoulders, with more bandages tied around her right thigh (over which a small black leather pouch was tied) and both ankles. But what was strange was the headband tied around her forehead. It consisted of a strip of black cloth with a metal plate fixed to it directly over her forehead. On that plate was a strange symbol engraved in the metal, one that Shion had never seen before.

Naruto slipped a small piece of paper onto Shion's desk. She quickly opened up the little note under her desk.

**That symbol on her headband is from Suna City.**

Suna City in Kaze no Kuni (Wind Country). Shion had heard of the place before; Suna was a proper city, much larger than the small town of Konoha. Nonetheless, a strong commercial relationship existed between Konoha and Suna, the result of a profitable business deal struck years ago when the town and city were first founded.

_'So she's from Suna? Wow, the girls there must be really pretty.'_ thought Shion.

In the silence since their new sensei had entered the room, one could hear a fly break wind. The woman standing at the front of the room had a commanding aura about her, one that demanded respect and full attention. Seeing how the boys (and some of the girls) were staring at her with their mouths open, Shion didn't think that holding everyone's attention would be a problem for her.

"Listen up!" she barked, making the stunned class jump. "My name is Pakura. I don't like my family name, so you lot will use my first name. Do not think that gives you the right to be familiar with me. You will address me as Pakura-sensei at all times. Is that clear?"

"Yes Pakura-sensei!" the class replied as one.

"Good. Now, I don't know any of you, so I'm going to ask you to stand up one at a time and introduce yourselves. Just your names and your favourite colour, I don't care about your dreams or ambitions for the future (especially the dreams of the girls infatuated with Sasuke!).

_'Favourite colour? What a weird thing to ask.'_ though Shion. Pakura's eyes locked with hers at that moment, making Shion seriously consider if she could read minds. She hastily decided to leave all those thoughts for later, when she was sure she was out of Pakura's sight and/or mind reading range.

As the order of students went across the rows, Shion realized that Naruto would be the last person to introduce himself. Glancing over at Naruto revealed that he had figured this out as well, and was currently glancing out the window, clearly considering jumping out and running away.

She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, making him flinch as he turned to face her. She gave him a reassuring smile, and watched as he relaxed his tense shoulders. Once again, just looking into her eyes and seeing her smile seemed to quell his anxiety to a certain degree.

Soon it was Shion's turn. She stood up and said her name and favourite colour (red). Shion shivered as she noticed Lee writing something down in his personal notepad. _'So creepy...'_

"Alright, you there in the corner. It's your turn." said Pakura, pointing at Naruto. Naruto didn't move a muscle. Pakura's eye twitched with irritation at having to repeat herself. "Hey! Blondie! Stand up and tell me your name and favourite colour!"

_'Oh no.' _thought Shion as Naruto slowly shook his head. Pakura's eye twitched again as she stalked down the aisle between the desks, with no one but Naruto locked in her sights. The other members of the class glanced at each other uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. They probably should explain the situation to their new sensei, but that would involve bringing up the 'Ghost of Class 2-B'.

The green and orange haired woman stopped next to Naruto's desk. She leaned over so her face was right next to his, staring intently into the part of his right eye that she could see, since Naruto was staring determinedly at the front of the room, barely even blinking.

"Is there a problem kid? Cat got your tongue?" Shion suddenly pictured Naruto's fox looking cat stealing his tongue right out of his mouth and almost giggled despite the situation. What was with her overactive imagination?

Naruto slowly shook his head in response. Pakura's eye twitched again, but she kept her voice level. "So why are you being difficult? Do you have a problem with me?" the commanding aura that surrounded their new sensei seemed to intensify, morphing into a 'you-better-watch-it-or-unspeakable-things-will-happen' aura.

Again Naruto shook his head and reached into his pocket for his notepad. He slowly wrote on a page, tore it off and silently handed it to his sensei.

**My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My favourite colour is orange.**

Pakura finished reading the note and immediately crushed it into a tiny ball, making everyone in the deathly silent room join Naruto in flinching violently. "What the hell is this?" she demanded, tossing the small paper ball on to Naruto's desk. "I want you to say it out loud, not write it down!" her hand slammed down on Naruto's shoulder, and Shion witnessed a look of terror on his face for the first time. She couldn't watch anymore and decided to speak up.

"Uh Pakura-sensei?" she jerked back as the older (but still young) woman whirled around to face her. "Stay out of this Fujimura Shion, favourite colour red!" she had spoken Shion's name and favourite colour like she'd been reading off a report or a student profile.

_'Sh-She remembered?! Well, I guess I did just say it...'_ Shion simply nodded, hoping against hope that Naruto wouldn't run. "Now see that Blondie? If the Blondette over there can speak up, why can't you?"

Naruto slowly shook his head again as sweat began to bead on his brow. He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him, and this woman being so close to him and yelling at him was making him feel extremely nervous.

Surprising everyone with his speed, Naruto was halfway out the window before anyone had time to blink. But before Shion even had time to sigh sadly, Pakura had reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, halting his descent. An impressed "Oooh!" echoed amongst the students as, in an amazing show of strength, Pakura lifted and pulled Naruto back in with just one arm, dropping him back in his seat and placing her face back near his like nothing had happened. Naruto on the other hand was terrified, trying to inch away from the woman from Suna in the limited space between his desk and the window.

"Huh. I didn't expect that." Pakura said thoughtfully. She slowly straightened up and placed her hand on top of Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. Naruto's eyes were wide with surprise, and he wasn't alone. The entire class was watching the little scene, unable to fathom Pakura's change in demeanour. "You're an interesting one Blondie. Don't think you can pull off that little stunt again though; I'll be keeping a very close eye on you."

Naruto nodded slightly, still too stunned by having his escape attempt thwarted to do anything else. Pakura shocked everyone again by giving him a small blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile, before disentangling her hand from his hair and heading back to the front of the classroom.

Shion and Naruto glanced at each other and shared a 'what just happened?' look just as the bell rang for the first block of lessons, both thinking the exact same thought: _'Is Pakura-sensei going to be even more trouble than Kakashi-sensei?'_ (is that even possible?)

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Kakashi has been replaced (for now)! I watched the Shippuden episode '****User of the Scorch Style: ****Pakura**** of the Sand!' and I knew I had to use her in my story. Something about her (admittedly limited) backstory just seemed to click with a character design I had been considering for a while now. Anyways, what do you think? I've written her as abrasive to begin with, and I'll slowly let her develop into the character she was like in the anime. It's all part of the plot!**

**I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this story was inspired by shōjo manga! You take a simple premise, like a silent Naruto, bring in the main character who tries to help the affected person (Shion) and then you use slice-of-life moments to tell a comedic story with heartfelt moments and occasional drama. Hopefully I've managed to incorporate these elements, but I feel the slice-of-life stuff is getting a little monotonous. While there are several ****shōjo manga staples like a cultural festival or a day at the beach/swimming pool to mix things up, I need to figure out how to put my own spin on these events, especially since Naruto would have to be in these events! Ah, hopefully some ideas will come to me when I'm in the shower like they usually do!**

**Kagyuubi**


	8. Finding Your Sensei's Secret

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Finding Your Sensei's Secret  
**

* * *

"Alright students! Introductions are over! I will now take attendance. Say "Present." if you're here, and if someone is absent, don't be the smart ass who calls out to try and confuse me, _or else..._" with that said, Pakura's steely gaze swept the classroom, staring each student in the eye and daring them to try and call her out on her threat.

No one in Class 2-B wanted to know what the punishment was and wisely kept quiet until they were called upon. The way Pakura had said "Or else." was enough to silence even the loudmouthed diehard rebel Kiba, who was now sitting as perfectly still as he could, hands placed firmly over his mouth.

After the roll had been marked, Pakura quickly checked the clock before addressing her students. "Now, before the bell rings in a few minutes, is there anyone who has a problem with their seating arrangement? I am willing to move people around just this once, provided you choose to sit near students who won't be a distraction to you."

Shion smiled thankfully. It looked like Kazuna would be getting away from Ami and Noriko for the rest of the semester (until the next change in seating arrangements at the beginning of the next semester). Shion looked over to Kazuna, expecting to see her friend's hand up and waving frantically.

Instead, what she saw was Kazuna doodling on her desk like she had not a care in the world. Shion's jaw dropped as Kazuna began to sing cheerfully to herself, completely oblivious to the death stares she was receiving from her ex-friends.

Shion shook her head ruefully. Kazuna was most definitely a few vegetables short of a vegetable patch. Was all that stuff she was saying about being unable to concentrate in class because of Ami and Noriko a joke?

Just as the blonde girl was about to get up and talk to Kazuna, she heard the sound of paper being crushed and turned to face Naruto. The silent Uzumaki was squashing a page of his notepad into a tiny ball; much like the one Pakura had left on his desk. After making sure it was as small as he could make it, Naruto took carefully aim and threw it across the room, striking Kazuna square on the cheek and bringing her out of her doodling daze.

She glanced around confusedly before spotting the paper ball lying on her desk. Recognizing the paper (surprisingly) she opened it up, took a few minutes to read what Shion correctly presumed was a note and then surprised everyone by standing up and waving her hand in the air yelling "Oooh! Oooh! I do! I do!"

Pakura gave Kazuna a fleeting dubiously raised eyebrow before her expression settled back into its usual serious mode. "Alright. Pack up your gear and move over to that seat in front of Fujimura."

"Huh? O-Okay..." Kazuna looked a little disappointed before it struck her that she would be sitting with her new friends. She grinned widely and grabbed her books and bag, almost sprinting to the empty seat in front of Shion.

"Anyone else?" Pakura asked the class. Taking the silence that met her question as a 'no', Pakura instructed the students to chat quietly amongst themselves until the bell rang for the first lesson.

"Hey," Shion whispered. Naruto faced her and nodded to show he was listening, wincing when Kazuna scraped her new chair loudly against the ground. "What did you write in that message to Kazuna-san?"

In response, Naruto pulled out his notepad and wrote a small message on the top page.

**I wrote 'Put your hand up if you like cookies!' on the paper ball. It was the only way I could think of to get Kazuna to quickly stick her hand up before the offer to change seats expired.**

"Ha-ha! Good one Naruto-kun!" Shion giggled. What a clever plan, manipulating Kazuna's love of sweet treats like that. But when Shion glanced over at Naruto to congratulate him further on his quick thinking, her cheerfulness quickly morphed into worry. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked him concernedly.

Naruto was staring at Shion with wide eyes like he'd just been unexpectedly slapped. His shaky hands reached for his notepad, barely managing to write out his explanation legibly.

**You called me 'Naruto-kun'. That's the first time you've used that honorific on me.**

Shion thought back over her last sentence, and realized he was right. She successfully fought down the blush trying to light up her cheeks and replied a little too quickly. "D-Did I? Well, Kazuna-san calls you 'Naruto-kun' all the time! Why can't I?" Naruto quickly scrawled out his next response like he always did when he thought he was upsetting his friend, though he seemed to have trouble trying to express what he wanted to say.

**Well, it's...**

**I'm not saying...**

**It's just that you have never addressed me like that before! ****I don't mind...**

**Even when Kazuna-san says it...**

**It's just a little strange. I... guess I don't mind...**

"Well good! It's not like I'm forcing you to accept it or anything!" Shion replied, sounding almost defensive. _'Kami, I sound like a stage one tsundere _(a person who is initially cold towards another person and slowly reveals their warm and loving side over time)_ anime character!'_ she thought sheepishly as Naruto wrote out his next response looking very subdued.

**Sorry.**

Shion sighed and shook her head. "No, you don't have to apologize. I was just so used to hearing Kazuna-san say it, and it rolls off the tongue much more easily than the overly formal 'Naruto-san'. We've become close friends now; so you won't mind if I use the '-kun' honorific on you now, right?"

Naruto seemed to think on it for a while before slowly shaking his head. "Well then Naruto_-kun_," Naruto's face went bright red, but for once, Shion didn't feeling like giggling over his bashfulness. She watched his minute facial expressions closely as she continued. "You'll have to call me 'Shion-chan' from now on. It's a lot easier to say and like I said before, we're close enough to use such familiar honorifics now." Naruto shook his head quickly; surprising Shion and making her feel a little hurt too. "No? You don't think I'm a good friend yet?" Had she been moving too fast for him? Was he still not ready for such close friendships even though he'd offered to take Kazuna and herself to the place where he worked? Come to think of it, this was probably a huge step for Naruto and she was pushing him too much. Had she completely misread his level of development thus far?

Naruto slowly shook his head again and tore off the now full top page of his notepad, thoughtfully writing an answer on a fresh one.

**No! Well, I don't know. I know you are my friend. ****Maybe even**

**I mean, my heart's not ready yet. I just need a bit more time I guess. I just don't know...**

Shion smiled gently, successfully hiding the hurt and sad feelings in her heart from him. "Take all the time you need. There's no rush. You'll know when you're ready, Naruto_-san._" Naruto nodded gratefully, and Shion didn't miss the look of relief that spread over his features when the bell rang. She supposed that as a person who'd never had friends before, Naruto would be extra careful not to mess things up by moving too quickly. Plus, an innocent guy like him wouldn't dream of forcing overly familiar honorifics on people in case it was read the wrong way.

Shion opened her notebook to a fresh page as Pakura began her first lesson as their new sensei. It wasn't going to be an easy road getting Naruto to come out of his shell; she'd known that from the start. While ideally she'd have liked to have Naruto reintegrated into Class 2-B as a fully acknowledged student and classmate by the end of the year, she knew that there were deep underlying problems in Naruto's early life that would require time and patience to unravel and patch up.

Shion thought over his words from before and felt sadness weighing down on her heart as she began to take notes from the blackboard. How could she help Naruto if he didn't even know what she was to him?

* * *

~Afternoon Homeroom~

* * *

Pakura was a good sensei. Her explanations during the lessons that day had been clear and unambiguous, and she was patient enough to answer any questions that a brave student occasionally summoned up the courage to ask. Her calm and serious face when she regarded her students made them feel a little uneasy about speaking up, but she proved herself to be an approachable person. Despite this, the classroom was dead silent whenever she was in it.

The students also learned that Pakura had a liking for hard candy. The little black leather pouch strapped to her thigh (which many had speculated to hold a knife or something equally dangerous) contained a small colourful rectangular tin of hard fruit flavoured candy - a type of candy that the great grandparents of current students had enjoyed in their youth. The candy within the container would rattle softly whenever she walked, and every so often during lessons, Pakura would smoothly slide the candy container out of its pouch, flip open the lid and quickly shake the container upwards. A single piece of candy would flip up into the air and land in her mouth perfectly each time. And just as smoothly as she'd pulled it out, Pakura would slide the container back into her thigh pouch in one fluid motion and continue with her lesson like nothing had happened.

Needless to say, the class as a whole were impressed (but still slightly fearful) of their dead serious sensei. While they knew that she was capable of normal human emotions like smiles (which they'd seen after she had caught Naruto mid-jump), since then, Pakura's serious demeanour had returned and showed no sign of weakening. During the last block of classes, Sakura had gathered up the courage to ask the sensei from Suna if she could use the restroom. Pakura didn't even look her way, simply speaking as she kept on writing out her notes on the board, saying that the pinkette could wait the half an hour until the end of class.

Sakura was chewing on her lip and pressing her hands forcefully into her lap by the end of the lesson, looking like she would be blasting out of her chair like a rocket if she had to hold it in a second longer. Even the people who weren't fans of Sakura felt sorry for her, and were even more fearful about their new icy cold sensei.

As Pakura finished calling out the roll, the bell rang for the end of school. However, there was no usual thunderous scraping sound of thirty chairs being pushed back, the tromping of thirty pairs of feet eagerly heading for the doors accompanied by the loud murmur of students chatting to each other joyfully.

Instead not a single soul moved and all was silent within Class 2-B. The muffled sounds of students leaving neighbouring classrooms was all that could be heard in the strange silence. Pakura turned around after cleaning her notes off the blackboard to see twenty-nine pairs of eyes watching her expectantly (can you guess who the one person looking out of the window with their headphones on was?).

The sensei from Suna City stared at her students, and the students of Konoha stared back at their sensei in the now awkward silence. No one in the room wanted to be the first to try to leave, not when they didn't know if Pakura would dismiss them first or not. Eventually Pakura grew tired of the twenty-nine-on-one staring contest and sharply reprimanded the Class Reps (Shion and Sasuke) for not doing their jobs (Kakashi hadn't bothered with such things).

"Stand! Bow!" said Shion and Sasuke simultaneously; both standing to attention like they'd stepped into a military exercise. Once the class had followed the instructions in perfect unison, Pakura gave them a slightly less intense look (her version of a friendly expression), trying and failing to get her students to loosen up in her presence.

"Dismissed!" she said sharply (unintentionally mind you), watching confusedly as the students filed out of the room in a weirdly orderly line. "Ah, Blondie! Can you stay back for a moment? I need to talk to you." Pakura suddenly called out, stopping Naruto dead in his tracks when he was just about to walk out the door.

Naruto slowly, almost fearfully, turned to face his sensei, nodding to show that he was listening. Shion had just left the room and peeked back inside to see what was holding Naruto up, quietly calling to Kazuna to come back to the doorway when she spotted Pakura speaking with Naruto.

The blonde girl gestured for Kazuna to hide herself against the wall and stay silent so they could eavesdrop on the conversation. It's wasn't like they had anything to do anyway; they had to wait for Naruto to show them where he worked. As the last of the students filed out of the room, shooting the two girls hiding outside the classroom strange looks as they walked away, Pakura pointed to a desk in the first row, directly in front of her own desk.

"Alright, take a seat," she told Naruto, who quickly complied, sliding into the seat and pulling his headphones off in a single motion. "Now, I want to explain a few things." she continued, walking out from behind her desk and standing in front of Naruto, unintentionally towering over him and creating an intimidating atmosphere.

Naruto nodded nervously, obviously wishing he was anywhere but in that classroom alone with his sensei. Pakura leaned back against her desk and briefly glanced out the window, thinking over the best way to start the conversation.

"Alright, it's like this. I don't like the fact that you refuse to speak. It irritates me and makes me feel like you're trying to be disrespectful towards me." Naruto quickly shook his head and pulled out his notepad, scrawling out a message and showing it to Pakura.

**I don't mean to be disrespectful Pakura-sensei.**

After reading his message out loud, Pakura sighed tiredly. "I know you don't. I understand that you have your reasons, whatever they may be. I suppose I'll just have to get used to it." Naruto looked at her face directly for a few seconds, confusion written on his features. His sentiments were reflected on Shion's face, who was equally mystified by the direction in which the conversation was going. She hadn't expected this from their icy new sensei.

"Hey, what's going on Shion-chan? Aren't we going to Naruto-kun's workplace?" asked Kazuna in a loud whisper. Shion quickly clamped her hand over the brunette's mouth, motioning with her hand that they would go there later as she peeked back inside.

Inside the classroom, Pakura had just caught a piece of candy in her mouth and had deftly replaced the tin of candy in her thigh pouch. _'So cool!'_ thought Shion, before she mentally berated herself for forgetting the seriousness of Naruto's situation.

Pakura leaned towards Naruto, staring him straight in the eyes to make sure she had his attention. "You see Blondie, there's a reason why I was transferred from Suna City High School. I taught a second year class just like this one, and believe it or not, but I was even harsher and more intimidating than I am now."

_'Is that even possible?!'_ thought Shion incredulously.

"Mwis-dat-meven-bwosshible? (Is that even possible?)" Kazuna mumbled, her mouth still sealed off by Shion's hand.

Naruto too was shooting his sensei a slight dubious look, which morphed into slight panic when Pakura's expression turned dark. "Yes, it's true. Back then I had just left the military after assisting in the final strike against a violent criminal faction that had been terrorizing Kaze no Kuni for years. My squad was the only one able to break through their defenses and were able to open a hole for the rest of the Suna military to enter and subdue the enemy forces. I left the military with my comrades as a hero, retired from active duty after serving my country to the best of my ability. It was suggested to me that I should take up teaching, since I'd apparently been a good instructor to the new cadets."

Naruto nodded slowly, clearly interested in the story, almost forgetting his fear of the woman in front of him. Shion and Kazuna were listening intently from the door as well, and the two girls were so engrossed with the tale that they barely remembered to conceal themselves when Pakura's eyes flicked suspiciously over to the doorway they were hiding behind.

"So I was hired by Suna City High School after getting a glowing recommendation from my commanding officers. However, everything went wrong in the two months that I was there. The kids in Suna High were rowdy and disrespectful when I first came to teach them, and were as well behaved as you lot by the time I left. In fact, I'd have said they were ready to join the military and do their country proud. However, the way I earned their respect and fear isn't something I'm particularly proud of."

Pakura sighed and glanced out the window, suddenly looking extremely tired. Naruto quickly scribbled a message on his notepad and showed it to his sensei.

**What happened Pakura-sensei?**

Pakura took a deep breath and stared Naruto straight in the eyes as she spoke, making sure that he was listening to her every word. "There was a student in my class named Gaara. He was very quiet, only speaking when spoken to and only with as few words as possible. I treated all of my students as I did the cadets I trained at the military academy - yelling, constant reprimanding and excessive punishments for failure. When I look back now, I realize that I had gone overboard several times, but the school board was content with the fact that I had the most rowdy class in the school under control." Naruto was watching his teacher intently as she told him his tale, his eyes never leaving hers for a second. That in itself was an impressive feat, since Naruto rarely tried to maintain contact with anyone, Shion included.

Pakura's hand started to hover down to her hip pouch before she reconsidered and continued on with her tale. Her candy could wait until she had finished speaking. "Gaara suffered from insomnia. He would stay awake during the night, and fall asleep in class. Naturally, this got on my nerves, and I wasn't shy to tell him so. During my third week, when only a third of the class had come to fear me, Gaara fell asleep during class. As usual, I stormed over to his seat, in the same place as yours by the way, and yelled at him until he woke up. I... I should have seen it. Maybe then I could have changed what happened."

Outside the classroom, Pakura's hidden audience were straining to hear her tale. Pakura's voice had steadily dropped lower and lower as she spoke, making it all the more difficult for them to listen in on the conversation. Still, the story Shion and Kazuna were hearing had successfully caught their attention - they desperately wanted to know the ending too, maybe Naruto could tell them the rest if Pakura's voice dropped any lower.

"I shouted at Gaara, not noticing the resignation and helplessness on his face. He looked sick too, like he hadn't been sleeping well for a long time. Back then, I didn't know about his insomnia... or the cause of it. You see, Gaara's mother Karura was killed during a late night trip to the convenience store, and due to depression caused by the loss of his wife, his father became an alcoholic. During one of his drunken rages, Gaara's father tied him up while he was asleep and burned the kanji for 'love' into his forehead, so Gaara became afraid of both going out at night and sleeping at home during the night when his father was drinking. As a result, he developed insomnia, which he still suffered from even after being placed in protective care with his mother's brother Yashamaru."

Pakura leaned forwards until her face was an inch away from Naruto's. "But I didn't know any of this when I yelled 'You useless maggot! You won't go anywhere in life if you sleep through your classes. You will die alone, and you will die a failure!' at him, not realizing how deeply it would resonate with his poor state of mind. That's when he stood up, and did the unthinkable. To a person like me who spent her early days putting her life on the line for others, I couldn't understand what he did next, in fact, at the time I thought it was selfish of him. I still don't understand what was going through his mind, but I remember everything so clearly. His eyes were hidden by his hair and his 'love' scar was illuminated by sunlight as he spoke to me. He said 'You're right. I'm sorry.' and jumped out the window. All I could do was watch as the boy plummeted head first to the ground, and listen to the horrible sound of bone hitting concrete." Pakura ended her tale, her eyes looking dark and haunted by the ghosts of her past.

Suddenly everything made sense. Shion wiped the tears from her eyes as she realized that Naruto's escape attempt had probably rattled Pakura a lot more than she had let on. Inside the classroom, Naruto appeared to have come to the same conclusion, standing up and hastily grabbing for his notepad and writing his response, then bowing as low as he could while he presented his notepad to his sensei.

**I didn't know. I apologize for what I did; I was only trying to run away. It wasn't my intention to remind you of such painful memories Pakura-sensei.**

Pakura gave him the briefest and faintest of smiles, before it was replaced by her usual serious expression. "Raise your head Blondie. I know. But I didn't just tell you this story for no reason. I want you to understand why I want you to communicate with me using your voice."

Naruto gave her a confused and slightly fearful look as she leaned towards him and lowered her voice until only he could hear her. "I want to help you. I see you suffering like Gaara, and I feel like this is my chance to make amends. I know it's selfish of me, but you must have problems too. I don't want to see another student of mine go through the pain that Gaara did, so I want you to know that I'm here for you. I realize that I can't expect you to trust me right away and open up to me, but I know there are other people here willing to help you. And they're closer to you than you think."

Both Shion and Kazuna were startled and glanced at each other guiltily. _'She knew we were here the whole time and didn't say anything?'_ thought Shion, marvelling at her sensei's skills and tolerance.

"So I believe," continued Pakura. "That if you communicate with me using your voice, I'll know that you've taken the first step towards recovery. So until the day comes when you start speaking and properly introduce yourself to me, I will call you 'Blondie". Deal?"

The older woman held out her hand to the boy, who studied it worriedly for a few long moments. Shion and Kazuna were watching anxiously from the doorway, no longer concerned with concealing themselves. "Come on Naruto-kun! Shake her hand!" Kazuna mumbled under her breath. Shion's thoughts were along the same lines, and the suspense was killing her. If Naruto accepted this deal, that would be his way of saying that he was ready to accept help from others and finally find his voice.

Naruto gazed up hesitantly into Pakura-sensei's eyes, and much like they did when he looked at Shion, the panic seemed to leave his eyes as he took in her warm smile. Slowly his hand extended forwards, closing the distance between his and hers. The hand began to tremble as it drew nearer to his sensei's, and Pakura decided to meet him halfway. Her own hand shot forward and grasped his one firmly, making him jump. They shook hands, sealing the deal.

"Yes!" yelled Kazuna, before Shion placed her hand over her mouth and dragged her away. Honestly, didn't this girl think before speaking? Needless to say, Shion had a big grin on her face as she pulled Kazuna back to a safe distance.

Inside the classroom, Pakura's hand released Naruto's and relocated itself to his hair. She ruffled his blonde locks and told him to run along before someone came in and questioned their relationship. Naruto blushed, grabbed his bag and scurried away from the room, pausing only to shyly wave goodbye before vanishing through the doorway. Pakura waited until she was sure he was gone before heading to his desk, where the message she had crushed up still sat. She gingerly picked up the paper ball and unfurled it, scanning over the contents.

**My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My favourite colour is orange.**

Pakura gently and neatly folded the piece of paper into a small square before placing it safely inside her pocket. The smile on her face from her chat with Naruto was long gone, replaced by a grim look of anxiousness.

Would the day come when he would say these words to her, or would she find herself gazing over the same bloody scene from three months ago?

In the corridor, Naruto finally caught up with Shion and Kazuna, who were trying their best to act like they hadn't been eavesdropping. "So Naruto-kun," said Kazuna, unaware of the blush that spread across his cheeks. "Can we finally see where you work now?"

Naruto simply nodded and led the way to the shoe lockers, placing his headphones over his ears as he walked. Shion didn't miss the glance he shot at his right hand and the slight flexing of his fingers as he remembered shaking hands with his sensei.

_'Another person willing to help Naruto. Maybe we can get him speaking by the end of the year!' _Shion thought, feeling happiness blossom in her heart. It seemed there was hope for Naruto after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for the one month break between chapters - things are getting hectic at university (for those of you reading in the future, ignore the majority of this message!). I got really stuck writing Pakura's back story. It's not that I didn't know what I wanted to write - I just needed a break from this story. But I'm back now, and eager to write again. That reminds me... I need to get back to my other stories... How troublesome... However…**

**I am sorry to say this will be the last chapter for another month, I have end of semester exams coming up so the next time I can sit down and write will be during the holidays. I know I'm looking forward to it - I hope you guys are too! By the way, the tin of hard candy that Pakura-sensei uses was more or less borrowed from the Dance in the Vampire Bund anime-only character Mei Ren (just in case you wanted to know what it looked like – I doubt any of you really care that much!).**

**Also, I realised recently that while yes, this is a comedy/humorous story, there haven't been many character conflicts (emotionally). I figure its time to write in a little more drama, rather than playing off a serious moment as a joke (like the 'suicide scene' from Chapter 3). If every new thing Naruto experienced went perfectly, his development wouldn't be as interesting would it?**

**Kagyuubi**


	9. Finding Your Greatest Job Ever

**Finding Your Voice**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Finding Your Greatest Job Ever**

* * *

Shion and Kazuna were staring at Naruto in shock. They'd been watching him like this for the last few minutes as the three of them walked away from Konoha High and towards the place where Naruto worked. Naruto was ahead of the two girls by a few steps, clearly still unused to the idea of people voluntarily wanting to be near him.

However, it wasn't the distance between them that had them watching his back so intently, rather, it was the small little bluebird nestled comfortably in his blonde locks that drew their attention. The little bird had landed in his hair the moment they stepped out of the school grounds, and seemed content to rest atop the lofty perch that was Uzumaki Naruto's head.

Shion opened her mouth to ask him about it, but though the better of it and kept quiet. If he didn't see anything wrong in having a bluebird on his head, then who was she to question it?

Kazuna seemed to have decided that the bird was of little importance and proceeded to latch onto Naruto's arm, making him flinch violently enough to dislodge the bird from his hair. It fluttered around his head for a few seconds, looking like the dizzy effect from an anime, before settling back down onto his head. Shion noticed that Naruto didn't flinch when the bird settled on him, and he even made sure to keep his head steady for the little bluebird to land safely. _'So it's just people he has that reaction to, rather than anything that touches him_._'_ thought Shion, filing away that little piece of information for later.

"Hey, hey Naruto-kun!" Kazuna suddenly spoke up as she clung to Naruto's arm. "Thanks for keeping your promise!" she beamed at him, making his steadily growing blush flare up to its highest level. Seeing the confused look on his face (and realizing that he couldn't write with Kazuna holding on to his arm), Shion asked his question for him.

"What promise are you talking about Kazuna-san?" said the female blonde, increasing her pace to catch up to her friends.

Kazuna swung around to face Shion, unintentionally pulling Naruto down (since she was a lot shorter than him) to her level. "Well, do you remember the last time we asked Naruto-kun to walk home with us, and he refused since he had to go to work? I made him promise to walk with us next time and now he is!" Kazuna grinned widely, clearly happy with the (kind of) reliable Naruto.

"He also kept his promise to take us with him to see where he works. Talk about killing two birds with one stone (not the bird on Naruto's head). If you keep this up, Kazuna-san might fall for you!" Shion replied, smiling at the tomato red faced Naruto. He quickly swung around to face the front, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he picked up the pace, unknowingly dragging Kazuna along with him. Shion smirked as Kazuna struggled to match his speed, enjoying Naruto's bashfulness. Teasing the blonde boy never got old - it was just too cute.

"Yeah!" Kazuna said chirpily. "If you keep this up, I will fall for you!" a few long moments passed in silence, until Kazuna realized what she had agreed to and whirled on the giggling Shion with a blush to rival Naruto's own. "HEY! Don't embarrass me like that Shion-chan!"

"You aren't denying though, are you?" Shion asked as a sly grin formed on her lips. Kazuna started stuttering and sputtering, trying to form a cohesive sentence in her defence. Finally flustered beyond the point of return, she took off into the sunset (the sun was setting in the direction they were heading), glittering tears trailing off behind her as she sprinted away.

"Shion-chan, you baka!" they heard her yell as she disappeared into the distance. Naruto and Shion felt sweat drops rolling down the side of their heads as Kazuna meekly returned to them a few seconds later, mumbling something about not knowing where they were going and making sure to not make eye contact with either of her friends.

The three friends continued to walk in silence, until Shion's cell phone rang, making them all jump and causing the blue bird to flap around Naruto's head indignantly. "Excuse me," said Shion as she answered the call, cutting off the soft J-Pop ringtone. "Hello?"

_"Hey Shion-san, it's Ino!"_the loud voice of her fellow blonde nearly pierced her eardrums, forcing her to hold the phone a short distance from her ear.

"Hey Ino-san, what's up?" Shion replied in turn.

_"Well, as you know, I'm holding a slumber party tomorrow night at my house to burn Sakura's bra pads. So I thought I'd ring you up and give you a formal invitation to the event! There will be snacks, movies, games, makeovers and pillow fights too!"_

Shion smiled, despite herself. Usually she would have refused straight away for two reasons: (1) she had never really been to a slumber party before, since she hadn't been allowed to during her time at the temple (and even when she lived with her mother in Oni no Kuni, she hadn't had many female friends to invite her and vice versa), and (2) the idea of being trapped in a room full of nosy and noisy girls for an entire night didn't really appeal to her. However, she figured this was a chance to get to know the other girls in her class, since she'd pretty much spent all her time with Naruto, and later Kazuna when she arrived at Konoha High. "Sure, that sounds great. Thank you for inviting me."

"Not a problem Shion-san, see you then!" just as Ino was about to hang up, Shion quickly called out to her when she remembered something worth confirming.

"Uh, sorry, but can I know who else is going?" Shion asked.

"Sure!" Ino replied. "Obviously I'll be there (it's her house, it would be weird if she wasn't!), along with Sakura, Tenten, Hinata-chan..." as she listed off most of the girls in their class (excluding Ami, Noriko and a few hitherto unmentioned Original Characters), Shion was quick to pick up on a certain name being left out of the guest list.

"I realize this is not my place, but you haven't invited Kazuna-san. She doesn't work for the Sasuke Rules Enforcement... Group... Society... Thingy... You know what I mean! Now that she's friends with me and Naruto-san, I've realized that she's really sweet and yes, a little ditzy..." Ino made an incredulous coughing sound and Shion quickly amended herself. "Alright, extremely ditzy but her heart's in the right place. She really needs some new friends now and if you give her the chance..."

Ino pondered over it for an immensely long time, before very hesitantly replying. "Sure, I suppose... But she's your responsibility alright? You'll have to keep an eye on her; my parents are really harsh with punishments when their stuff gets broken during my parties."

_'Just how wild are your parties?! And isn't this a girls only slumber party? As in, no extreme stuff?!'_ thought Shion. Out loud she said. "I accept all responsibility for her actions during your slumber party. I'm sorry to have made such an unreasonable demand of the host who so kindly invited me. Thank you very much."

"Uh, no its OK. The pleasure's all mine..." Ino replied in an unsure tone, thrown by Fujimura Shion's formality. "Alright then, see you tomorrow!" with that cheery goodbye, the girl hung up. Shion pocketed her phone and smiled at Kazuna, who'd been unsuccessfully trying to listen in on the conversation when she heard her name being mentioned.

"There's a slumber party at Yamanaka Ino's house tomorrow night and you're invited!" Shion said, placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Oh..." said Kazuna, gazing down at her shoes. The shift in her mood was immediately apparent; even her pace slowed from her usual excited speed to a slow crawl.

_'Huh? What's with that response?'_ thought Shion, slowing down to keep pace with Kazuna. Naruto (who was ahead of them once again), slowed down as well so he was walking a little closer to the two girls. "Kazuna-san? What's wrong?" Shion asked concernedly.

"N-Nothing..." the shorter girl replied, gently shrugging off Shion's hand. Shion looked up at Naruto, who very briefly caught her glance and acknowledged her worried look before returning his own concerned gaze to Kazuna. The brunette (in a rare instance of paying attention to her surroundings) actually noticed the not-so-unusual wordless exchange between her two friends and schooled her face into a very fake looking smile. "H-Hey, so where's the place where you work Naruto-kun? We must be close by now." she said, giving Naruto a meaningful look, as if urging him to play along. Naruto nodded and picked up the pace, leading the two girls to their destination in silence.

* * *

~Late Afternoon~

* * *

After leading the group for another ten minutes, Naruto eventually stopped walking outside a small building made primarily of wood, with a short white curtain covering the upper half of the doorway. A large window to the right of the door would have given them a view into the building had it not been fogged up by steam. The words 'Ichiraku Ramen' were emblazoned in neat hand written red letters on the top half of the window and on the white curtain over the entrance.

Naruto slowly lifted his arms and gestured towards the building as if to say 'Here it is!'. The blue bird atop his head did the same with its wings, even chirping out what sounded suspiciously like a 'Ta-da!'.

Shion and Kazuna stared disbelievingly at the bird for a few seconds, before shifting their gazes to the small one story wooden building sandwiched between a massive fast food chain restaurant and an even larger five story building (the headquarters of a local film production company).

_'Makes sense I guess,'_ thought Shion as she followed the now bird-less Naruto inside the building (the bluebird flew away as Naruto walked through the doorway). _'He did say his favourite food was ramen when we first 'spoke' with each other... I just didn't know he loved it that much! Don't most people come to hate the food they make when they work at a food joint?'_

Inside, the place was rather cramped, but pleasantly so. For some reason, the place had a homey feel about it, and the smell of ramen lingering in the air added to the ambiance. After entering through the doorway, a long polished wooden counter on the right hand side stretched from the entrance to the back wall of the shop (a distance of seven metres, give or take), blocking off the kitchen part of the restaurant. On the wall to the left of the doorway hung several pictures of award winning ramen dishes, with a massive poster of 'The House Specialty - Miso Ramen!' hanging on the wall directly opposite the entrance. The customer side of the counter had several stools placed in front of it, with only one being taken up by an old man sitting on the end seat nearest the miso ramen poster, nursing a steaming bowl. There seemed to be even less space on the chef's side of the counter, barely enough for two people standing side by side and facing the back end of the shop, where another white curtain hid what was presumably where the kitchen supplies and whatnot were kept.

As the two girls took their seats and placed their school bags on the floor near their stools, Naruto slipped under a gap in the counter and disappeared behind the curtain at the back of the shop. Kazuna suddenly grabbed Shion's arm and pointed to where the window was on the chef's side of the counter, had there not been a cloud of steam obscuring it. "Look Shion-chan, I think there's someone hidden in that steam cloud!"

Shion squinted and could just make out a hazy figure moving around within the steam. "You're right... I guess that's that spot where the pots that they boil the ramen are in. It explains why the window was all steamed up..." Shion noticed Kazuna looking at her with a mixed expression of shock and mischievousness. "What? What's with that expression...?"

"You were thinking something dirty weren't you Shion-chan?" said Kazuna in a sing song voice, her cheeky smile becoming a full-on grin as a blush spread over her cheeks.

Shion spluttered at the unexpected question. "N-No! Not even close! Why would you think that?!"

"Well, how else would you have explained the steam covered windows then?" Kazuna replied, pretending to fan herself. "You were probably thinking 'It must get so hot and steamy in there, ooh la-la! I wonder what sort of ecchi things Naruto-kun gets up to in there! I wonder if there are days when that window isn't steamed up?'."

_'Is Kazuna a closet pervert?'_ Shion seriously considered it before responding, fighting back a faint blush. "No! Kazuna-san, please get your mind out of the gutter; this type of conversation is unbecoming of a young lady!"

"Unbe-what?" Kazuna asked, scratching her head confusedly. "Don't tease me like that Shion-chan, you know I can't handle big words!"

_'Seriously?! You can make sexually suggestive comments like we're two guys hanging out, but I can't say a word like 'unbecoming'?!'_ The blonde girl thought incredulously. "My apologies Kazuna-san. Let me say it again. Stop being so pervy!"

"Now who is being pervy?" a voice boomed out from the cloud of steam, making the two girls jump. A pair of menus slid along the counter, coming to rest in front of Shion and Kazuna perfectly. A loud machine suddenly whirred and clanked into life, sucking away the steam and revealing the smiling man within.

The man appeared to be in his late forties, dressed entirely in white, with a matching short chef's hat on his head. As he reached up to switch off the noisy extractor, he smiled at his two newest customers. "I haven't seen you two before. Is this your first time eating here?"

Shion quickly put on a polite smile and responded. "Yes. We came here with Naruto-san and-"

"You came with Naruto? Is he here already? Give me a second." the man turned to face the curtain at the back of the shop. "Naruto! Are you there?"

After a few seconds, Naruto reappeared from behind the curtain, resplendent in a clean white apron which he was just finishing tying on. He nodded to the old man as he rolled up his sleeves and removed his tie, placing it in his pocket. He wasn't wearing his headphones either, and it was weird to see the blonde boy without them around his neck.

"Ah Naruto my boy! Good to see you!" the old chef's voice was jovial and loud as he greeted his part time worker. "And you brought your friends with you. I think they should have the honour of tasting ramen prepared by you, am I right?" the old man grinned at the two girls sitting at his counter.

"Yes! I want to eat Naruto-kun's ramen!" Kazuna immediately responded, putting her hand up like an elementary school kid.

_'If I was a mean spirited person, I would make a joke like "Do you want to have his babies as well while you're at it?"; lucky for her I'm not that sort of girl.'_ thought Shion, picturing Kazuna's initial agreement, then her flustered shock after realizing what she had said 'yes' to in her mind. "I too would like to partake in ramen prepared by Naruto-san." she said, giving the old man and Naruto a more refined version of her angelic smile.

The old ramen chef whistled and patted Naruto on the back, making him flinch slightly. "Well done kid! Not only did you win over a 'cream of society' type like her," he said, gesturing to Shion. " But you even got a cute 'in touch with her inner child' type as well!" he finished by indicating Kazuna, who started pouting childishly when she realized the ramen chef had called her kid-like.

Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, turning his gaze away from his boss and his friends. The old man sighed and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder reassuringly before returning to the boiling pots of ramen.

Shion quickly picked up her menu and began perusing it, prompting Kazuna to do the same. "Your boss seems like a good guy." the blonde girl remarked. Naruto turned to face her, making sure to keep his eyes on a point above her left shoulder. He nodded slowly, almost cautiously, like he was worried she was going to hit him. Thinking over the conversation, Shion realized that he probably thought that she and Kazuna had taken offense to the old man's comments. "I mean it," she continued. "He seems like the type that's easy to get along with."

Naruto's eyes slid over to meet hers briefly, and upon seeing her easy going expression, nodded again, this time a little more sure of his response. He jumped when Kazuna tossed down her menu and leaned over the counter, giving him an unintentional view down her blouse. "Hey Naruto-kun, can you recommend a good bowl of ramen? There are too many options to read through..." Naruto's hand rushed to clasp his nose as he looked away, fighting down the pinkish-red tinge threatening to take over his cheeks. He nodded towards the massive poster on the customer's side back wall. Kazuna squinted at the poster for a few seconds, mouthing the words on the poster as she read them. "Miso ramen? What does it taste like?" she asked curiously.

Naruto's hand suddenly dove into his pocket, pulling out his notepad and frenetically scrawling out a message for Kazuna. He took a few minutes, crossing out and rewriting various responses. Shion and Kazuna shared a look, wondering what could have excited him so much. It was just ramen right? (Could they be more wrong?)

Finally Naruto seemed to write out an answer that satisfied him. He nodded to himself, and then tore out the top page of his notepad that was by this point more scribbles than words, and rewrote his answer on a fresh page. He finally presented it to Kazuna, and Shion, who leaned over curiously to read the surprisingly small message.

**The taste of Miso Ramen is like imagining several of the most mouth-wateringly mind blowing flavours in the world all mixed together, multiplied by a thousand and blessed by Kami-sama up in Heaven.**

"Wow! That's sounds awesome! So I guess this one is your favourite?" Kazuna asked. Naruto quickly wrote a few more lines under his description of miso ramen.

**It was the first type of ramen I ever had here. And yes, it is my absolute favourite. I do like everything else on the menu, but Miso Ramen has a special place in my heart...**

_'Wow, he almost sounds like a shōjo manga heroine.'_ thought Shion, wisely keeping that comment to herself. "So is that why you wanted to work here? Because your boss made the best food you'd ever tasted?" she asked instead.

Naruto started to nod and then shook his head. He once again wrote on his notepad to elaborate.

**Well, yes, I wanted to work here so I could eat more of that amazing ramen (I'm not allowed to use the recipes at home even though I work here - I have to protect the secrets of Ichiraku Ramen), but Old Man Teuchi didn't make my first bowl. He made the seventh to thirteenth bowls during my first visit.**

"So who made the first six?" asked Shion. _'HE ATE THIRTEEN BOWLS OF MISO RAMEN IN ONE SITTING?! HOW DID HE... WHERE DOES IT ALL GO?!'_

"That was me!" a cheerful voice called from behind the white curtain. It slowly shifted aside to reveal a young woman roughly three years older than the three high schoolers. She was beaming as her eyes fell on Naruto, quickly fixing her long cocoa brown hair back with a white bandanna as she rushed up to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey Naruto, how are you?" she asked the blonde boy, who gave her his Naruto-Look ('trying to whistle with his mouth closed' smile) and nodded to say he was fine in response to her question. She released him and ruffled his blonde locks before picking up the two plastic shopping bags she'd left on the floor as she was tying up her hair. "I just went out to get a few ingredients we were running out of. We seem to be using up the..."

As the brunette continued to speak with Naruto, Shion took the opportunity to note down a couple of interesting points. For starters, Naruto had barely flinched when the new arrival wrapped her arms around him (it was more like a faint shiver). He hadn't averted his eyes from her either, instead maintaining eye contact with the young woman for the entire duration of the conversation, nodding or shaking his head intently whenever he was prompted to do so by a question.

_'He seems to be extremely comfortable with this woman; he can't even look me in the eye for more than a few seconds. Is there something going on between them?'_ Shion glanced over to her left to see if Kazuna had picked up on this. The ditzy girl had not, since she had a pen in her hand and was preoccupied with trying to spell out the word 'unbecoming' on her wrist.

After seven failed attempts, Shion took pity on her and gently prised the pen out of Kazuna's grip. She located a clear patch of skin on her hand and wrote the word out as neatly as she could. As Kazuna nodded her thanks and put on her thinking face as she tried to sound out the big word, Shion noticed that Naruto had finished his conversation with the brunette and was watching his two friends with that tender expression on his face.

He noticed Shion looking at him and quickly looked down at his notepad, where he wrote out another message and showed it to Shion.

**You looked like an Onee-sama **(big sister; 'sama' – most respectful honorific one can use) **just then.**

Shion smirked. "It sometimes feels like that when I'm with you two." Naruto gave her a weak looking indignant pout (the best he could manage), causing Shion to giggle. He looked down at his notepad once again and scribbled out a few more lines for Shion to read. Unnoticed by Shion, a shiver ran through his body as he wrote, making his hand twitch and mess up a few letters.

**So as I was saying before, Old Man Teuchi (my boss) didn't make my first bowl of ramen. Ayame-hime **(referring to Ayame as a princess) **did. She is Teuchi-san's only daughter and she was the first person to introduce me to Miso Ramen. I am eternally grateful to her for that.**

Naruto almost had what could be considered a smile on his face as he wrote about Ayame, the ramen chef's daughter. Shion's eyes narrowed for a few seconds as she studied the unusual look on his face. _'I would have thought there was something going on between them judging by the way they were acting, but the fact that he addresses her as a 'princess' says otherwise... But she didn't use any honorifics on his name, indicating that they have a close, if not intimate, relationship.'_ thought Shion. _'This brings to light something I didn't expect. And why does he call her 'hime'? Does she make him address her like that? That would mean she has a bigger ego than me…'_Out loud she said "Well, if you swear by it so much, I'll have one bowl of miso please."

"Oooh, me too Naruto-kun! One for me too!" Kazuna said as she gave up on trying to pronounce the word 'unbecoming' (how did she survive in school up to this point?). Naruto nodded and began to work earnestly as he prepared the ingredients for his favourite dish.

It wasn't every day one was able to share something so beautiful with friends for the first time, was it?

* * *

~Evening~

* * *

The sun had nearly set, leaving a slight orange glow on the horizon as the three friends walked away from the ramen shop. Naruto had helped the father-daughter team close up shop, and had been forced to accept an envelope from Ayame before he left, presumably containing his pay for the days' work. Even now, as the three friends walked down the street towards the residential district of Konoha, he was still staring regretfully at the white envelope in his hand. Kazuna, who was walking beside him, suddenly chose that moment to nudge him with her elbow to get his attention. "Wow! That was great Naruto-kun! You're a really good cook!" said Kazuna, giving Naruto a wide grin. The Uzumaki scratched the bag of his head sheepishly, unaccustomed to praise. He pulled out his notepad and wrote something down before showing it to Kazuna, who immediately started laughing.

Shion was watching her two friends speaking with each other from a few paces behind them. Seeing Naruto interacting with people out of school had forced her to reconsider a few things. After watching Naruto, Ayame and Teuchi, she had come to realize that he wasn't quite as lonely as she thought he was. Sure, he didn't have any friends in school, but these two people seemed to care about him as if he were a member of their family. Knowing that he did have people who appreciated him was starting to sow the seeds of doubt in Shion's mind.

Had it been presumptuous or arrogant of her to assume he was lonely when she saw him in school? Had she come off as a bother when she had forced him to make conversation with her and invaded his secret spot on the roof? As she watched Naruto and Kazuna walking in front of her, she began questioning her actions up until that point, wondering if everything she had been doing for him had been the right thing to do. However, the main question on her mind was...

_'What does Naruto really think of me?'_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers! You finally get to see Naruto as a working man... boy. In this chapter, we've finally left the classroom and introduced a new location for various scenes to take place in. Do you like the new Ichiraku Ramen set up? Were you able to visualize the layout of the shop from my admittedly confusing description?**

**And I also threw in a bit more drama! I've been reading a really good manga called Good Ending by Sasuga Kei, which was really instructional on how to create a realistic romance and add dramatic drama to it! The tone of it is very much like what I'm trying to do in this story, and I'm hoping to apply what I've learned to Finding Your Voice very soon. I also started playing Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us. Bioshock Infinite is awesome, and I'm nearly up to the mind blowing ending, but The Last of Us... oh my gravy, it is simply amazing! I've never felt such emotions and tension in a video game before! I just wish the next semester of university wasn't starting in a couple of days... I just want to keep playing!**

**Oh, and next chapter I'll be writing an Omake that will be totally different from the first one (more or less)!**

**Kagyuubi**


	10. Note From the Author

**Hello Readers! **

**Kagyuubi here with a quick note about the previous chapter (chapter nine). After getting a flash of inspiration from an Eminem song, I've tweaked the plot a bit, and that in turn has prompted me to make a few slight changes to chapter nine, specifically the way Naruto addresses Ayame. No, it is not just nit-picking or anything – it is relevant to the plot. However, I doubt any of you can be bothered to read through the chapter again for a few different words and a new sentence here and there so I've attached the altered part of the chapter below for your reading convenience! (I also fixed up a few typos that slipped by when I uploaded the chapter) **

After seven failed attempts, Shion took pity on her and gently prised the pen out of Kazuna's grip. She located a clear patch of skin on her hand and wrote the word out as neatly as she could. As Kazuna nodded her thanks and put on her thinking face as she tried to sound out the big word, Shion noticed that Naruto had finished his conversation with the brunette and was watching his two friends with that tender expression on his face.

He noticed Shion looking at him and quickly looked down at his notepad, where he wrote out another message and showed it to Shion.

**You looked like an Onee-sama **(big sister; 'sama' – most respectful honorific one can use) **just then.**

Shion smirked. "It sometimes feels like that when I'm with you two." Naruto gave her a weak looking indignant pout (the best he could manage), causing Shion to giggle. He looked down at his notepad once again and scribbled out a few more lines for Shion to read. Unnoticed by Shion, a shiver ran through his body as he wrote, making his hand twitch and mess up a few letters.

**So as I was saying before, Old Man Teuchi (my boss) didn't make my first bowl of ramen. Ayame-hime** (referring to Ayame as a princess)** did. She is Teuchi-san's only daughter and she was the first person to introduce me to Miso Ramen. I am eternally grateful to her for that.**

Naruto almost had what could be considered a smile on his face as he wrote about Ayame, the ramen chef's daughter. Shion's eyes narrowed for a few seconds as she studied the unusual look on his face. _'I would have thought there was something going on between them judging by the way they were acting, but the fact that he addresses her as a 'princess' says otherwise... But she didn't use any honorifics on his name, indicating that they have a close, if not intimate, relationship.'_ thought Shion. _'This brings to light something I didn't expect. And why does he call her 'hime'? Does she make him address her like that? That would mean she has a bigger ego than me…'_Out loud she said "Well, if you swear by it so much, I'll have one bowl of miso please."

"Oooh, me too Naruto-kun! One for me too!" Kazuna said as she gave up on trying to pronounce the word 'unbecoming' (how did she survive in school up to this point?). Naruto nodded and began to work earnestly as he prepared the ingredients for his favourite dish.

It wasn't every day one was able to share something so beautiful with friends for the first time, was it?

**It may not make much sense now, but it will come up every now and then in the next few chapters, and then the grand reveal where everything pieces together will occur in the near future. Just laying the groundwork is all! Oh, and this little note will be deleted and replaced by the next chapter when it is completed so the chapter numbering and whatnot lines up, so there is a time limit!**

**Kagyuubi**


End file.
